Congress Hall (Paramaribo)
| Congress Hall | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Paramaribo | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Paramaribo |
| Country |  Suriname |
| Coordinates | 5°49′33″N 55°09′08″W / 5.82577°N 55.15222°W / 5.82577; -55.15222 |
| Completed | 1999[1] |
| Cost | ƒ 2 million.[2] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Arie Verkuijl[3] |
The Congress Hall (Dutch: Congreshal) is a convention and exhibition centre in Paramaribo, Suriname. It is located on Onafhankelijkheidsplein, and was completed in 1999.[1]
Overview
In 1998, the Wijdenbosch government decided to build a convention centre for the 1999 CARICOM meeting.[1] The Congress Hall was to be built on the location of the Palace Hotel.[4] Arie Verkuijl was chosen to design the building.[3] Verkuijl wanted a completely transparent building. Aluminium was not an option,[5] therefore, the building was constructed using steel and acrylite, commonly known as plexiglass.[6] The Congresshall was built in six months, but initially suffered from a leakage problem which required the replacement of the stage and flooring.[1]
The Congress Hall is considered a controversial building. There are people who consider the building out of place among the historic wooden buildings in Paramaribo,[1][3][6] and a poor replacement of the Palace Hotel,[4] while others praise the vision of the architect.[5] The statues of Jagernath Lachmon and Jopie Pengel are located on the square across the building.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Splinternieuwe congreshal al in verval". Cobouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Hoopvol naar een nieuw begin". Reformatorisch Dagblad via Digibron (in Dutch). 3 June 2000. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "Altijd langs andere wegen". Werkgroep Caraibische Letteren (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Palace Hotel [X], Onafhankelijkheidsplein 6". City of Paramaribo (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Shiny dingen vind je niet bij Verkuijl". Surgoed (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Architectuur in Suriname" (PDF). Sabaku (in Dutch). 2011. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Vuurdans, hoogtepunt van 'Earth Hour'". Star Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
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