Participation of the STU Faculty of Civil Engineering (STU SVF) students in the ISOVER Multi-ComfortHouse Students Contest 2015 in the city of Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, on 27 - 30 May 2015 was exceptional. Having succeeded in the national stage of the competition, Emy Kiabová and Bc. Roman Ruhig majoring in the bachelor study programme of Building Construction and Architecture were invited to the international stage. Under the supervision of visiting Professor Ing. arch. Pavol Paňák, they designed a unique multi-comfort residential building for the real, though extreme for us, climatic conditions of Astana, as a part of the EXPO 2017 area. The students got a unique opportunity to present their project to the global forum along with other 49 ones selected from various countries by the Contest Jury.
Isover Multi-Comfort House Students Contest is announced by ISOVER division of Saint-Gobain Construction Products, Ltd. Task of the XI year of this anonymous international student architectural competition was to design a vision for "Residential function in cold climate: Astana, Kazakhstan", construction of a residential area in passive standard.
In 2017, Astana will host EXPO 2017. The elevation of Astana is 347 m above sea level. Astana is the second coldest capital in the world. Extreme continental climate makes temperatures in Astana ranging from -52 to +42 °C. Within the preparation for the new EXPO 2016 site, Astana started construction of the EXPO Complex consisting of three main areas: Expo area, Residential area and Post expo residential area expansion. Design of a part of the last one was the task assigned for the student architectural competition of Isover Multi-Comfort House Students Contest 2015.
The aim of the competition was to offer a vision of comfortable housing for citizens by using advanced insulation materials for envelopes of buildings, selecting the proper shape of heat-exchange jacket and utilizing the passive urban and architectural means in order to eliminate extreme climatic conditions.