Construction resumes on Vientiane’s city pillar pavilion
The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT) has recommenced work on the construction of Vientiane’s city pillar pavilion on Setthathirath Road after it was delayed due to design problems.
The city pillar pavilion in Vientiane. Photo by Khamphanh
“We stopped building when we discovered that the dimensions of the roof structure were inaccurate,” the director of Phettapharb Construction, Road & Bridge Company Mr Sengphet Kongmany said.
Construction was suspended while the ministry and the contractor worked to solve issues associated with the design of the structure, with many finer details needing clarification, he told Vientiane Times yesterday.
With the issues now resolved, the company has resumed work. Construction is now around 80 percent complete, after work began in February last year, Mr Sengphet said. “The pavilion will be fully complete by June 2012.”
While work has resumed, progress has been slow due to recent heavy rainfall, with some tasks impossible while extra safety precautions were also required, he added.
MICT National Heritage Department official Mr Sotsy Vongphavany said on Tuesday the ministry has approved the new design, which features a copper roof. In the previous design, the roof was to be made of wood.
“We will also build a museum on the site, to explain the significance of the city pillar pavilion,” he said.
Construction of the museum is in the process of being put for tender, and when costings are received, the department will submit a proposal to the MICT for approval by the minister.
“At the moment we cannot say exactly when the museum will be built but we expect work will begin once the city pillar pavilion is officially opened,” Mr Sotsy said.
The pavilion will be 29 metres high and 17 metres wide, with the design based on traditional Buddhist architecture.
Construction will cost around 15 billion kip in total, of which 7 billion has already been spent. According to the MICT, the building was scheduled for completion by the end of last year, but that had to be rescheduled after work stopped.
The city pillar pavilion was one of many projects set in motion to mark the 450th anniversary of Vientiane as the Lao capital in November last year.
The pavilion will house 193 ancient stones and pillar sections that were unearthed at the site on January 16, 2007. Archaeologists dug up another 225 stones on December 29, 2009, and another 55 on January 7 this year, bringing the total to 473 items.
