Take that, stairs: Here's a building residents can ski down

If you didn’t already have a reason to move to Kazakhstan, here’s one.

A group of architects in Kazakhstan has designed an apartment building in the capital Astana which offers an innovative way for residents to get down to street level.

Instead of taking the elevator or the stairs, tenants can ski or snowboard down the 300-metre snow-covered rooftop.

The project, aptly named Slalom House, was inspired by the country’s long winter and lack of nearby ski slopes.

And residents wouldn’t have to limit their skiing to the winter months, because the ramp would be built using Snowflex, a synthetic material that can simulate the effect of real snow all year round.

It would be the first building of its kind in the world and according to the architect, its uniqueness would make it one of the capital’s star attractions.

While it’s unusual for ski slopes to be incorporated in residential design, the other obvious standout is Dubai’s Meydan One building, which will house 78,300 residents and come with the world’s largest indoor ski slope, the world’s largest dancing fountain and a 100-berth marina.

The Kazakhstan project, led by architect Shokhan Mataibekov​, was shortlisted at the World Architecture Festival, but lost out to Bjarke Ingels Group’s Vancouver House project.

As well as its unconventional exit strategy, the 21-storey apartment block would feature shops on the ground floor and 421 residential flats.

It is reportedly waiting on official approval.