Turner Tops Out Talan Towers, the Firm's First Project in Kazakhstan

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Talan Towers is composed of a 30-story office tower and a 25-story residential and hotel tower linked by a three-story podium with a variety of luxury retail outlets. The hotel— Kazakhstan’s first Ritz-Carlton with branded apartments—features 157 guest rooms, including 32 suites and 27 residences, all with panoramic city views, as well as restaurants, lounges, and other guest/resident amenities.

Turner project managers led a strong team of 38 Turner site managers, architects, designers, MEP engineers, commercial managers, document controllers and support staff through the four years from start to completion.

“Talan Towers was a mega fast-track project where design and construction were undertaken in parallel,” said Vladimir Milovanovic, project manager of the office tower and retail theatre. “Turner managed more than 50 different consultants and contractors on site directly and more than 100 subcontractors and suppliers worldwide. Our success was the product of individual commitment of each and every team member, devotion to quality, respect and inclusion of our team and ultimately love of construction,” he said. “I am proud to have been able to lead our team and grateful for the extraordinary help and support from our Management.”

“I had the honor of working with an extraordinary team on this project,” said Mehmet Kilic, Turner project manager. “Each and every team member went above and beyond their role to ensure we delivered a quality end product that exceeded expectations. There were many challenges to overcome and many lessons we learnt on this project – the experience was a privilege.”

With the successful turnover of the towers, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and residences celebrated their own grand opening—a fete quickly dubbed the event of the year. Turner leaders including Abrar Sheriff, president and CEO of Turner International, Maja Cesljevic, vice president and regional manager for Europe and Central Asia, Mehmet Kilic, project director, and Tom Reilly, senior vice president, donned their evening best to mingle with prominent international figures and Kazakhstan’s high society, exploring the hotel, dancing, and enjoying festivities that lasted till dawn.

“We are extremely excited to make our debut in the Kazakhstan Market, particularly on such a prestigious development,” said Abrar Sheriff, President and Chief Executive Officer of Turner International. “We offer thanks and congratulations to our partner, Verny Capital, and we look forward to many more opportunities to build buildings and cultivate local construction talent in Kazakhstan and throughout the region.”