"The Sphere" - EXPO 2017, Astana/Kazakhstan

"Future Energy: Action for Global Sustainability" was the slogan of the world's fair held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, in the middle of 2017. The focus was on a sufficient and reliable supply of energy in developing countries as well as on the transition from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy. 

We were responsible for implementing a major part of the "Astana Sphere". Officially named "Nur Alem", the host's pavilion is the largest self-supporting sphere in the world. Working in cooperation with the exhibition construction company and exhibit designers, N&M provided the technical infrastructure and installed the audio, video and lighting equipment on four levels of the sphere. An 80-strong international team with local knowledge, supported by a number of N&M branch offices, implemented the technical side of the presentation. In his role as "Local Coordinator", Evgeniy Davydov – our project manager responsible for our Eastern European business - was in charge of organising and supervising the local network of suppliers, technicians and subcontractors.

Each of the eight levels of the "Sphere" focused on a different  form of regenerative energy. The "Wall of Future" was the architectural element connecting the different levels and also separated the exhibition area from the light-flooded inner courtyards. Over 800 seamless displays (55") provided information on the individual thematic areas. In the interior of a walk-through solar sphere measuring 13 metres in diameter, visitors encountered a 360° projection, which we realised with ten 30K and four 13K laser projectors. This impressive world of images explained how the Sun influences life on Earth. We used LED floodlights, projections and printed elements to simulate activities on the surface of the Sun. Performers manipulated the "Wheel of Life" during the "Kinetic Energy Show" on Level 3. This effect was realised by 38 moving lights that had been programmed in a time-code-controlled show sequence.