American University of Central Asia

New Academic Building

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The American University of Central Asia (AUCA), the premier university in the Central Asia region, constructed a new campus for its 1,200 students and 300 faculty members. The new campus consists of a central academic building, dormitories, and a sports complex, and is situated on a 3-hectare site. It is the first “green” building in Kyrgyzstan and it will allow AUCA to grow its liberal arts mission.

AUCA made a commitment to be a leader in sustainable energy in Central Asia and for all of its buildings to meet stringent environmental standards. The runoff from Kyrgyzstan’s mountains provides water and electricity, a geothermal heat pump system provides heating and cooling for the building, and a rainwater harvest system stores water for sewage and irrigation. Each space in the AUCA academic building is heated and cooled via a radiant floor heating and cooling system. High efficiency lighting is used in the classrooms with occupancy sensor lighting controls.

AKF first assisted with the development of a master plan for the new campus. They then worked with HMA2, the New York-based architecture firm, and the local architects and engineers in Bishkek during the design and construction phases, providing leadership and services required to knit together the disparate services offered. AKF provided peer reviews of the construction documents and construction reviews, design of the building automation control system, and, utilizing a principal and project engineers bilingual in English and Russian, AKF was able to communicate technical expertise to all members of the design and construction team.

Technical Statistics

OWNER: American University of Central Asia
PROJECT NAME: New Academic Building (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
PROJECT SIZE: 350,000 SF
ARCHITECT: HMA2 Architects
INDUSTRIES: Education
AWARDS: ACEC NY Engineering Excellence Platinum Award, Engineering News-Record Global Best Project Award of Merit
American University of Central Asia (AUCA)