Selected as one of the winners of ArchDaily 2025 Next Practices Awards, NAAW represents a new generation of architectural studios reshaping contemporary practice in Central Asia. Founded in 2019 by Elvira Bakubayeva and Aisulu Uali, the studio operates at the intersection of research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and spatial experimentation, positioning architecture as a tool for reflection and an active agent in shaping contemporary Kazakhstani identity.
This dual ambition—questioning their own practice while contributing to a broader cultural discourse—frames each project as an evolving process, not a fixed outcome. The term "workshop" embedded in their name, New Almaty Architects Workshop, reflects this spirit of continuous testing and learning. Interiors become platforms for material research, atmospheric exploration, and critical self-evaluation. In a regional context where architectural discourse remains underrepresented internationally, their work emerges as a sustained effort to articulate identity through built experience.
