Kuat’s self-sufficient city will be completed in 2013.

N the Staten Island ferry, Oleg Yu Nam turned toward Manhattan. An engineer by training, Mr. Nam found structural beauty in the shimmer of the New York office towers and the rocky spines of early 20th century skyscrapers. It was dissonant, but beautiful. Architecture can have a transforming effect by creating a dialogue between time periods. The Chairman of the Kuat Corporation was ablaze with inspiration. He thought Almaty was ripe for a change.

“I told myself right then and there: Kazakhstan will have its own Manhattan!” says Mr. Nam. Upon his return, he looked at 20 hectares of land to develop in the former Kazakh capital. He envisioned a city-within-a-city at the foothills of a snowcapped Tien Shen range. The Silk Road is still a land of steppes and mountain hulks, but standards of living have skyrocketed. The cityscape needs to reflect the country’s new economic prowess.

Kuat Corporation is known for its residential luxury buildings, including the Almaty Towers 3 and the luxury Ken Dala Elite complex. The design team uses a classical style, with flourishes of Central Asian esthetics in the form of softly contoured balconies and Persian-style cupolas. “The people in this neighborhood will feel much better than anywhere else in Almaty,” assures Mr. Nam.

A miniature replica of “Manhattan Kazakhstan” is already in public view. It will contain everything a self-sufficient city can have, from apartment buildings to office towers, and hospitals to hotels. Two stadiums are also planned. “Within the framework of this project we will have 3.7 million square feet of residential space, including high-end apartments. We have also integrated six schools, eight kindergartens, a slew of outpatient clinics, parking lots and restaurants,” says Mr. Nam. The large-scale project will be complete in 2013 and carries a price tag of $2-2.5 billion.