The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, also known as BMICH (Sinhala: බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්යාන්තර සම්මන්ත්රණ ශාලාව, Tamil: பண்டாரநாயக்க சர்வதேச மாநாட்டு மண்டபம்) is a convention centre located in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Given by the People's Republic of China as a gift, the conference hall was built in honour of the foreign policy of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1956 to 1959.
The BMICH is managed by the S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation that was established on 4 February 1975.
History
The construction of the hall was initiated on 24 November 1970, by the then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The Chinese government donated LKR 35 million towards the construction as a gift to the people of Sri Lanka. On 17 May 1973, the completed conference hall was ceremoniously declared open by S. Bandaranaike.
In 2000, the construction work of the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre was commenced on the same premises with the help of China. Built-in memory of Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the first stateswoman in the world, the exhibition centre was officially opened in 2003.
In 2000, the construction work of the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre was commenced on the same premises with the help of China. Built-in memory of Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the first stateswoman in the world, the exhibition centre was officially opened in 2003.
Building
The octagon-shaped BMICH building was designed by Dai Niancy, a prominent figure in the history of modern Chinese architecture (Lu, 2010). The building comprises the main conference & concert hall, delegates' lounge, banquet hall, and press lounge.
Summary
1970 - China and Sri Lanka signed the agreement.
1973 - Opening ceremony of BMICH.
1973 - International Rubber Conference.
1973 - International Rubber Conference.
1974 - 4th Commonwealth Medical Conference.
1976 - 5th Non-Aligned Movement Summit.
1983 - Commencement of renting office spaces for government organizations.
1991 - 6th SAARC Summit.
1998 - 10th SAARC Summit.
2000 - Construction of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition & Convention Centre.
2003 - Opening of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition & Convention Centre.
2005 - Opening of Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS).
2008 - 15th SAARC Summit.
2009 - Opening of Mihilaka Medura and Kamatha.
2012 - Refurbishment of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition & Convention Centre.
2013 - 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
2014 - World Conference on Youth.
2017 - United Nations Vesak Festival
See also
References
1) Lu, D. ed., 2010. Third world modernism: architecture, development and identity. Routledge.
2) Official website of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall - BMICH#History
2) Official website of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall - BMICH#History
Location Map
This page was last updated on 24 January 2023
Tags:
Colombo District
