The roof-wetting ceremony for the R460m International Convention Centre arena held last week was a milestone in the city's bid to recapture market share for international concerts and sporting events.

The arena, built as an extension to the International Convention Centre (ICC), provides the city with increased conference and exhibition facilities, as well as a multipurpose indoor stadium.

About R255m has been spent on the project, with the construction of the roof and associated heavy works completed. Work has begun on the internal finishes, including suspended ceilings, and the external glazing.

The development has spent R27m on quality acoustic walls used to divide spaces in a variety of configurations to ensure maximum flexibility. The operable walls, located on tracks for easy manoeuvring, can be moved to reveal more than 1,000m of uninterrupted floor space from the north to south end of the ICC.

The new arena adds another 12,000m² of floor space, and can accommodate raked seating for 6,000 people and space for 10,000 spectators. Combined, the ICC and adjacent Durban Exhibition Centre afford the city 32,000m² of covered exhibition space on a single level.

The roof-wetting event also marked the temporary handover of the arena to Tourism Indaba 2006. The annual tourism showcase will be held in the combined ICC and Durban Exhibition Centre from May 6-9. After that contractors will resume work on specialist lighting and internal finishes. The arena's official opening is scheduled for next March, in line with the ICC's 10th anniversary celebrations.

eThekwini deputy mayor Logie Naidoo said funding for the construction was testament to the value the municipality placed on the ICC as a catalyst for economic development.

He said the ICC had generated additional income of R4,4bn for the region since opening in 1997, and had hosted more than 125 international conferences to 160,000 delegates.

Business Day
 
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge