The complex is to be built on a 50,000 square metres parcel of land at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara.

The GICC, which would cost some US$5M, and which would be funded mainly by the Chinese Government through a grant to the Guyana Government, would be located west of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat building which is under construction, and facing the Railway Embankment Highway.

A release from the Chinese Embassy in Guyana said the team, which arrived in Guyana on December 25, 2002, has been conducting a wide-ranging survey for the project, including local cost factors, availability of construction equipment and materials, geographic information, cultural heritage and history, among other things.

The visit of this design team was facilitated by the Exchange of Notes signed by the Governments of China and Guyana in September last year.

According to the embassy, the team is headed by Mr. Li Tuofen, China's Design Master and Chief Architect of China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute (CSADR).

The embassy said that CSADR is among the top three designing institutes in China and has undertaken many famous designs both abroad and in China, including the Zaire International Sports Centre which it designed in 1987 and which is still the largest sports complex in Africa.

Other members of the team include Jinfan Weng, Consultant/Chief Architect; Hongli Zhou, Chief Architect; Jin He, Senior Structural Engineer; Hong Wang, Engineer in Charge/Water Supply and Drainage Design; Dixian Liu, Vice Chief Architect/Electric System Design; Fei Ge, Senior Engineer; and Tingxue Zhang, Engineer in Charge.

The Government of Guyana has set up a body with members from different government agencies to work together with the Chinese design team.

The embassy said several rounds of discussions have been held between both sides.

It said, too, that the Guyanese team has indicated its appreciation to the scheme-design made by the Chinese team, and its expectations and requirements for the function of GICC.

The Guyanese side also provided some technical information that is needed for further design of GICC, the embassy said.

According to the modified scheme-design of the centre that has principally been accepted by both sides, the GICC shall be sited at Turkeyen on a parcel of land of about 50,000 square metres, west of the CARICOM Secretariat Building and facing the Railway Embankment Highway.

The GICC is to be divided into three parts in general layout planning - the "recessed front part is fountain square, followed by the open area in the middle and main body building of the conference centre in the rear", the embassy said.

It said GICC shall be a two-storied building with total architectural area of 3,550 square metres.

The centre of GICC would be an `octagon shaped' main Conference Hall with 386 seats in circular layout, and rising up to 32 metres high with an octagon cone-shaped roof, featured with acoustic control, light control, simultaneous interpretation and projector, among other things.

The Conference Hall would be decorated to meet the requirement of international conference halls with top grade and distinct characters, the embassy assured.

It said, too, that the GICC will have small to medium sized meeting rooms catering for different needs and would include a business centre, secretariats, kitchen, dining room and banquet facilities.

The architects indicated that the design of GICC shall take full consideration of the pleasant breeze from the Atlantic Ocean and the unique culture of Guyana being a land of many waters, the embassy said.