ZHA to thread sprawling ‘baku expo city’ through pine forest in azerbaijan
18,000 trees shape the masterplan
ZHA’s Baku Expo City masterplan begins with 18,000 existing trees across a 198-hectare site beside the Baku Expo Center, and 92 percent of them are set to stay. The pine forest becomes the structure for a new urban district, with residential areas arranged as interconnected neighborhoods within the existing landscape. Landscaped corridors move between them, preserving much of the canopy while forming routes through the development.
The plan responds to Baku’s population growth with housing that ranges from one-bedroom apartments to larger family homes. Schools and local shops are folded into the same walkable district, alongside other civic facilities. Pedestrian routes and cycle paths connect the residential areas, while a central public square gathers cultural venues and cafés near an extension to the Baku Expo Center and a new Congress Hall. A hotel is also planned for delegates and passengers traveling through the nearby international airport.
the masterplan preserves 92 percent of the site’s 18,000 existing trees | visualizations © ZHA
zha turns buildings into windbreaks
The Azerbaijan capital’s climate has a strong hand in the masterplan by ZHA, with seasonal winds treated as a planning force across the site. The city is known as the City of Winds, with the cold Khazri moving inland from the Caspian Sea through winter and the warmer Gilavar arriving from the Iranian plateau during summer. the architects used pedestrian wind comfort analysis to position buildings as shields, lowering wind speed at ground level and giving outdoor routes and gathering spaces more shelter through the year.
That wind strategy works together with the forest already on site, where mature trees help cool the district and buffer air movement. Further planting is planned to strengthen those effects as the canopy develops. The masterplan also connects with Baku’s 2030 transport strategy, with links toward the city center and airport through the expanding public transport network. The planned upgrade of the Bakikhanov–Bina–Gala rail line forms part of that wider connection.
interconnected neighborhoods sit within preserved woodland across the site
green roofs extend the climate strategy
Every new building is planned by ZHA with a green roof system that adds insulation while lowering cooling demand across the masterplan. The roofs also form part of the district’s stormwater system, collecting rainwater for natural filtration and reuse while reducing heat buildup. In this way, the environmental role of the forest continues across the architecture itself, with planted roofs becoming part of the same broader system.
Renewable energy and passive design are also integrated across the masterplan, extending the climate response beyond streets and landscape. Low-carbon material choices form another part of the proposal. Together with the water system and forestry program, these moves shape Baku Expo City around the site’s existing climate and vegetation from the beginning. ZHA’s driving concept is that much of the landscape is already there, and the architecture is organized around maintaining it as the city grows.
buildings are positioned to reduce prevailing wind speeds at ground level
project info:
name: Baku Expo City masterplan
architect: ZHA | @zha.world
location: Baku, Azerbaijan
site area: 198 hectares
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