Work progresses well on Vision City Waigani

Mega-mall expected to open this year

 

Work is progressing well on Vision City Waigani, a project which promises to transform the whole economic landscape of Port Moresby.

I yesterday visited the project site and found a hive of activity on the eye-catching site, with workmen busy as bees.

The Rimbunan Hijau (PNG) Group is undertaking this most-ambitious commercial property development ever undertaken in the country at an estimated cost of K1 billion.

The proposed multi-user complex will incorporate a three-storey mega-mall, a 12-storey hotel with more than 290 rooms, a twin-tower office block, a convention centre and about 120 serviced apartments.

The mega-mall is expected to be opened this year, however, RH management were not available yesterday for comment.

Vision City is located on a 9.2ha site fronted by Waigani Drive and Sir John Guise Stadium.

Vision City will create a new focal point for shopping and business in addition to Boroko, the downtown area and Harbour City.

The master plan for the spectacular project, to be undertaken by the RH Group's property subsidiary, Dynasty Development Ltd, has been approved by the National Capital District Commission and a ground-breaking ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 17, 2008.

Work began first with the shopping mall.

Besides a large hypermart and department store, the mega-mall will feature more than 50 retail outlets.

The entire project is expected to take between seven and 10 years and will create about 1,800 jobs at the peak of construction.

"Once Vision City is completed we expect that about 5,000 people will be employed or accommodated within this vast complex that will virtually represent a city within a city," RH managing director James Lau said in 2008.

"It will be home to some 250 business entities and be responsible for generation of business activities worth K200 million to K250 million a year.

"This and other projects being undertaken in Harbour City and in the downtown area are destined to turn Port Moresby into one of the most-dynamic and vibrant cities in the South Pacific.

According to Dynasty, the mini-city complex will have a floor area of 150,000 sq metres or more than seven times the floor space in the 19-storey Deloitte Tower.

The 33,000 sqm shopping mall alone will increase Port Moresby's current shopping floor area by more than 20% and generate around 1,200 jobs.

Similarly the hotel, which will be managed by an international chain, will be the largest in the city.

The twin 10-storey office blocks will be built in two phases.

On completion they will boost the available office area by 60,000 sq m, about three times more than the space available in Deloitte Tower.

Mr Lau said the RH Group had spent several years planning this mixed commercial and residential development.

"This project will only be successful if the PNG economy continues to experience strong growth and we are confident that initiatives undertaken by the present government in recent years will ensure a healthy climate will prevail for private sector investment and growth," he said.

"The extremely strong growth in employment in the past two years is one of the factors that make us confident that a visionary project of this scale can be a commercial success by providing many more world-class amenities for public use.

The complex will incorporate various high-tech features to take care of growing concerns about greenhouse effects and climate change.

The hotel, for example, will employ sun-shading devices to maximise natural ventilation and natural lighting and an "external skin of steel mesh over part of the façade" will reduce power requirements.

The landscaped courtyard for the serviced apartments will also allow for better cross ventilation and improved entry of natural sunlight.

There will be 2,600 parking lots, with a third of them under cover.

Residents of the apartments will have use of squash courts and a gymnasium.