Forget the stairs. A group of architects form Shokhan Mataibekov Architects have come up with the idea for the Slalom House project in the city of Almaty in south-eastern Kazakhstan.
The roughly $70 million project would be the world's first residential building that doubles as an outdoor ski slope, if the City Council officials will approve it.
The Kazakh capital doesn't offer much for winter sport enthusiasts, that's why architect and avid skier Shokhan Mataibekov proposed the Slalom House. This will be a 21-story apartment building mounted with an artificial ski slope that wraps around the rooftop in a U-shaped formation. House Slalom's track could be used during the entire year, not only during the winter season.The ski slope would be built from artificial snow called Snowflex to allow for year-round skiing (for four to six months of the city's winter, natural snow would be used) and skiers would use the building's glass elevator to reach the top of the slope. And guess what? Skiers could even use it at night!
The Slalom House design was recently recognized as a finalist in the residential category at the 2015 World Architecture Festival.