Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) won the design competition for Expo-2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The competition received more than 100 entries from firms including Zaha Hadid Architects, UNStudio, Snøhetta, HOK, and Coop Himmelb(l)au. (Peek at some of the other designs in a September ARCHITECT column by Aaron Betsky.)

The 2017 expo is themed around the future of energy. For their winning design, AS+GG aims to create "the first Third Industrial Revolution city," according to the press release, and operate on renewable energy and a smart grid. AS+GG partners Adrian Smith, FAIA, and Gordon Gill, FAIA, are the design architects on the project.

The first phase of the project, slated to be finished by June 2017, includes the master plan for Expo City, as well as the design for the pavilions and related spaces, and a mixed-use "covered city," which will include retail, office, and residential spaces. This phase will include the construction of the signature spherical 24,000-square-meter (258,334-square-foot) Kazakhstan Pavilion in the middle of Expo City. The second phase of the design will convert the expo's structures for use after the event is over.

"The crucial difference of this project is that it is not a demonstration. Expo-2017 will form the basis of a truly sustainable community that will serve as a legacy for Astana and Kazakhstan," said Robert Forest, AIA, a partner at AS+GG, in the press release.

The Chicago-based firm, which has offices in Beijing as well, also designed the "positive energy" Masdar Headquarters for Abu Dhabi's Masdar City, which Mays profiled in ARCHITECT's June 2008 issue. (See more work by the firm in Project Gallery.)