New DUN complex ready end of March

KUCHING: The new State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex here will be completed by the end of next month.

Project contractor Bina Puri Holdings Bhd gave the assurance yesterday during a site visit.

“The new DUN complex will be ready by the end of March. Now, 90 per cent of the complex has been completed and after March, we will hand over the complex to the state government,” Bina Puri Holdings Berhad group managing director Senator Tan Sri Datuk Tee Hock Seng said.

He said the delay in the project was caused by the intricate interior designs which had to be mostly hand drawn and made.

This, he said, was very complicated and in addition to that, many of the items used had to be imported.

The new DUN complex costs about RM296.5 million and was initially scheduled for completion in September last year.

Tee said he had 2,000 workers working on building the prestigious Sarawak landmark which he likened to the Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

“This is the most challenging project my company has embarked on and the overall process took about three and the half years,” he added.

Situated atop a hill, with Sungai Sarawak flowing just by it, the unique complex encompassed architectural designs that were admirable.

Its development is undertaken through a joint-venture between PPES Works (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd and Naim Cendera Sdn Bhd.

The site was handed over by the Public Works Department in July 2005.

It is said to be 114-metre high with a total floor space of 47,747 square metres and it has a 50-metre-wide umbrella-shaped roof to cap the building.

Its design is based on a nine-pointed star, comprising nine levels.

The architectural masterpiece of the building which can house 108 members combines elements of Sarawak’s culture and heritage with state-of-the-art smart-building automation systems, multimedia communication facilities and environmentally-friendly features.

Other features of the new complex include a parade ground beside the waterfront, offices for each DUN member, a state banquet hall, and car park for 900 cars.

The current DUN complex was built in 1974.

It has a capacity for just 48 assemblymen but today, there are 71 state legislators.

The Sarawak DUN is the oldest in Malaysia.

Established by Raja Muda Charles Brooke, the first meeting was held on Sept 8, 1867 in Bintulu.

From 1878 to 1973, the legislature met at the Old Courthouse here.

(Taken from Borneo Post)