CATALYST PROJECT: Borneo Convention Centre, Kuching (BCCK).
KUCHING: Kuching Isthmus is slated to be a new central business district (CBD) under a massive development plan at an estimated cost of around RM2.8 billion.
Lying just 8km away from the city centre, the isthmus is now a fast growing CBD.
According to its website, the isthmus was chosen because of its sizeable land area of about 297 acres, strategic location and
great potential to be properly planned.
A catalyst project in the form of the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) was built for the purpose of taking a definitive foothold in the area which would be developed into a vibrant new township.
JUST COMPLETED: Marine Department regional office.
FUTURE CBD: An aerial view of the isthmus.
A COMPONENT OF CBD: Newly completed Wisma SEB.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION: This new bridge, which is still under construction, will link the isthmus with the city centre.
With the state government’s clear vision on what the new CBD should encompass and portray, the master plan for the isthmus was approved at the end of August last year.
It was slated as a green township, forward-looking and visionary to complement BCCK, which at the forefront of the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions industry (MICE) is currently bringing a lot of visitors (foreign and domestic), revenue and attention to Sarawak as a whole.
Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd (CMSB), in an ambitious joint venture with Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), created CMS Land Development Sdn Bhd (CMS Land) to oversee the development of the isthmus with an estimated gross development value of RM2.8 billion.
On the joint venture with the state government, CMSB group managing director Datuk Richard Curtis had recently told the Borneo Post ‘BizHive Weekly’ that: “We have been entrusted to drive this development project to meet the needs of the growing city and the people.”
To design this dynamic new addition to the city, he said a team of leading master planners from the US and Kuala Lumpur was brought in to work with a local architectural firm to conceptualise the isthmus as the site for the new CBD.
With a distinctly Sarawakian identity and design, the mammoth project is slated to be eco-friendly at heart and will effectively be the very first Green Building Index (GBI) certified township in Sarawak.
GBI is a certification scheme started by the Malaysian government to certify buildings with the right green components from rainwater harvesting, efficient construction, recycling
materials, efficient use of electricity, proper sun-shading and so on.
With regards to this, Curtis stated: “Every building here will be GBI certified thus making
the project a GBI certified township.
“The GBI certification has now been extended from merely office and commercial buildings to the entire township. This is going to be the first one in Sarawak,” said Curtis.
He said it has to reflect what Sarawak is about – rivers – and this project is definitely destined to be Kuching’s green riverine CBD.
Having a critical component such as a river in a township is an advantage not to be ignored and when actually incorporated as part of the township would do wonders for the success of the project, he highlighted.
Taking the cue from major cities that celebrate and accentuate their waterways since time immemorial, the isthmus is slated to be a hub of riverine features
with water transportation, canals and low rise buildings to
enhance the adjacent waterways.
Apart from the township per se, the state government is striving to establish an intricate network of transportation modes to facilitate accessibility to the isthmus in order to facilitate connectivity in the long run.
Towards this end, there would be a transportation hub with water taxis and buses located in the vicinity of the west bank of the isthmus.
Currently funding for a river taxi jetty near the BCCK had been approved by the government, as announced by Minister of Tourism Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg recently.
As part of a riverine connectivity network, the infrastructure for a public transport system will be upgraded to improve the overall quality of living in the city which in turn will improve tourism standards in the state.
Chairman of SEDC Datuk Talib Zulpilip said credit must be given to those involved in the planning and implementation of on-going projects as they had to be meticulously executed according to the master plan.
The completed project will be replete with well-planned and developed infrastructure and facilities such as hotels, a convention centre, sports facilities, well-designed houses, shopping centres and numerous other components that are essential for a CBD.
Incorporating the philosophy of being visionary and very progressive, the isthmus will also reflect the longstanding
culture and tradition of its homeland that local people can identify with and which visitors will glimpse and take back with them.
Although the vision in itself is straightforward, the realisation of the master plan will take years to complete.
Already visible to visitors to the area are the BCCK, marina and the just-completed Sarawak Energy Bhd headquarters ‘Wisma SEB’.
The Isthmus is owned by CMS Land, a joint venture between Cahya Mata Sarawak’s subsidiary CMS Property Development and SEDC Sarawak.
The second bridge linking it to Kuching city centre is almost completed.
A commercial centre, a lifestyle food and beverage hub and two corporate office towers are planned for the Isthmus in the near future.