Sarawak Convention and Exhibition Centre

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Model of the Sarawak Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Sarawak Convention and Exhibition Centre is located in Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia.

The State Government is currently selecting an operator to manage the centre and in the interim, the Sarawak Convention Bureau will take a leading role in marketing the venue.

1 Construction
2 Architecture
3 Specifications
4 External link

[edit] Construction

Construction is about to begin on the new 200 million ringgit Sarawak Convention and Exhibition Centre which is being developed on a 6 hectare riverfront site in the capital Kuching. The Centre will form part of a new marina and shopping mall development that includes the 39 storey Kuching Tower that will be the tallest building in Sarawak. The 300 million ringgit tower complex will house an office building and luxury 315 room hotel.

Appropriately, for the first dedicated convention and exhibition centre on the mystical Island of Borneo, the new centre’s environmentally conscious design is inspired by the surrounding rainforest jungle.

Construction is expected to commence in June 2006 and the Centre is scheduled to open for business in late 2008.

[edit] Architecture

A major element in convention centre design - when viewed from the outside -is its roof structure. Creative architectural solutions for function and form of this element have been found in nature. The centre’s roof is shaped in the form of a “ririg” leaf, a rainforest plant that plays an important daily role in the local indigenous cultures. Rainwater will automatically be channeled down the central vein of the leaf on the rooftop and collected for irrigation through a sub-surface ecological drainage system.

The roof canopy is supported by a series of exposed structural elements resembling the trunks and branches of rainforest trees. The centre is designed on an east-west access to mitigate the effects of solar gain. It is also oriented to face Mecca and incorporates a Muslim prayer room.

[edit] Specifications

The building has a gross floor area of 36,500 square metres and the internal design offers complete flexibility with functional spaces able to be sub-divided into a variety of sizes and configurations for plenary sessions, exhibitions and banquets.

Capacities in the centre include 1,500 delegates in plenary, a 2,000 capacity banquet hall and 14 breakout meetings rooms. The largest pillar free exhibition space is 2,500 square meters. Car parking for 800 vehicles is provided in a combination of underground and open parking.

In addition, the project will provide supporting service areas including reception and pre-function assembly areas, a VIP lounge, administration offices, commercial kitchens capable of servicing 2,000 delegates and a public restaurant.

Using the best of modern communication technology, the centre will have wireless internet access in public areas and provide simultaneous interpretation facilities in four languages.