History
It was constructed between 2000 and 2003 at a cost of RM600mil. Since October 2004, the Putrajaya Convention Centre is officially known as Putrajaya International Convention Centre or PICC to reflect the state of the art conference facilities at par with other international conference centre such as in London, Tokyo and Paris. The name change, which was perceived necessary as a marketing strategy and to internationalize Putrajaya, was first mooted by Dato Shafiq Abdullah, Deputy Under Secretary, Prime Minister’s Department and endorsed by Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Prime Minister of Malaysia. Besides hosting the 10th Conference of Organization of Islamic Countries, PICC also became one of the most favoured conference venue for high security risk events, hosted by the government or private sector. PICC has had many important guests including foreign head of states and heads of government, important corporate personalities such as the world’s richest man, Bill Gates. Due to its strategic location on the top of the hill in Putrajaya and facing beautiful lakes, it has also become one of most popular places and “hot” sites for film shootings especially for commercial advertisements. Despite these, the PICC is heavily under-utilised and it may take 300 years to recoup its original cost, excluding maintenance fees.
Architecture
The design idea of this unique and impressive building is based on the shape of the eye of ‘pending perak’ (a silver Malay royal belt buckle). However, the structure of the roof was designed similar to a folded origami to alleviate the plain roundness of the structure. From the frontview, the building’s eaves or wings are lifted at the sides, creating broad overhangings over the raking wall. Most of the walls are made of glass, so natural sunlight can easily illuminate the auditorium through the raked and shaded windows.
Interior
The interior consists of a Meeting Hall and Main Hall.
Major events in PICC
Organization of the Islamic Conference General Conference 2003
Malaysian International Fireworks Competition (MIFC) 2007, 2008
Notes
^ a b Teh Eng Hock (19 November 2009). “Parliament: No need for another convention centre”. The Star.
External links
Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) website
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Convention centres in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Putra World Trade Centre Persada Johor Putrajaya Convention Centre Borneo Convention Centre Kuching Melaka International Trade Center
Categories: Buildings and structures in Putrajaya | Convention centres in Malaysia
