Astana International Airport, Kazakhstan

The signing of the newly built second terminal at Astana International Airport in Kazakhstan was secured by John Anthony Signs. This £1.3m contract was the result of an eight-month process which saw JAS providing a full sign and wayfinding solution as part of the transformation of the Airport terminal. This massive project consisted of external and internal signage throughout every level and sector of the terminal. The 4 sets of external letters had a height of 2 meters and were built in both Kazakh and in English. Another key element of the scheme was the construction of eight illuminated 10m high glass clad towers that spanned the length of the concourse. Their impact as you walk into the scheme is breath-taking. With a project of this scale, quality is paramount so one of the biggest challenges was the extremes in temperature that are encountered in Astana Kazakhstan, the largest land locked country in the world. Here temperatures can range from -40° to +50°. Through our research, we established which products had the lowest expansion and contraction rates, which has been tested in extreme temperatures and which products had been successful in these environments to ensure that everything we supplied was durable and fit for purpose and able to survive in this challenging climate. The wayfinding scheme runs throughout the terminal in striking reverse decorated glass and many signs incorporated flight information displays at the check-in desk and at key junctions throughout the airport. The scheme is clear, precise, well linked and has a contemporary feel that is a perfect fit for this state of the art building.