Regardless of record-high fees, some of their projects are being cancelled half-way through or take a good decade to build. But the ones that are brought to life often become some of the most recognised works of its authors. For starchitects the miles between eastern Europe and Central Asia is the place where dreams and ambitions come true.

- At the end of September 2015, various Russian media announced the opening of a new office space in Moscow designed by British architect Zaha Hadid. It is her first work in Russia aside from the half-secret private residence in Barvikha Forest she designed for Vladimir Doronin, Naomi Campbell's billionaire ex-boyfriend. Not many were aware of Hadid’s Dominion Tower project, even though it was started almost ten years ago. The 2008 financial crisis and high construction costs postponed development of the building for years. In the end, the property owners commissioned Russian architect Nikolay Lutomskiy to create a simpler and cheaper version of the original design. Because of the unplanned time gap the Dominion Tower does not look like typical Hadid building, and is an example of what she might have designed earlier in her career. © Hufton + Crow
- As bad it was for Norman Foster in Russia, things were more fruitful in Kazakhstan, where several of his works have been built in the past decade. The city of Astana was completely rebuilt during the late 1990s and 2000s, becoming the new capital and business hub of Central Asia. Foster's Khan Shatyr shopping mall was a fine addition to the local landscape. The structure of the building resembles a traditional Kazakh yurt. This shape not only references the cultural context but is intended as a climate solution. The weather in Astana ranges from -35°C in winter to +35°C in summer, and the special chemical lining of the curtain held together by the needle-like peak helps to maintain a comfortable microclimate inside the building. © Foster + Partners