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| Sunday, 14 August 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Largest occupied castle in the world
It has been used as the principal home for over 1000 years by British sovereigns including Queen Elizabeth II. When the Queen is residing there, the Royal Standard flies from the castle's Round Tower and when she is not, the Union Jack, the British flag is flown. The castle was built in the 1070s by William the Conqueror as a defence mechanism against enemies. Its layout dates to the medieval period. Latter day kings made many developments and improvements to the building. Some strengthened it against invading armies while rulers during peace times enhanced its magnificence. In the 1170s, Henry II rebuilt the Round Tower, the outer walls of the section known as the Upper Ward and most of the Lower Ward in stone instead of wood. In the 1360s, Edward II expanded it and built St. George's Hall for his knights. Much of the currently inhabited wing was built by King George IV. The Waterloo Chamber was also built by him in the 1820s to celebrate the victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Windsor Castle is home to St. George's Chapel, which is in the Upper Ward, and the royal apartments and grand state rooms in the Lower Ward. The Round Tower separates the two sections. Construction work of St. George's Chapel was started in 1475 by Edward IV. It was completed 50 years later, by Henry VIII. The members of the chapel were selected by the sovereign and included foreign kings and previous prime ministers. Beyond it is the entrance to the Albert Memorial Chapel, constructed by Queen Victoria as a memorial to her husband, Prince Albert who died in 1861. The semi-state rooms will be open to the public from October 1, 2005 to March 2006. These rooms, known as Green Drawing Room, Crimson Drawing Room, State Dining Room and Octagon Dining Room, were created by George IV in the 1820s as part of the Royal Apartments, for his use. Now they are used by the Queen for official functions. One of the biggest attractions at the castle is Queen Mary's Dolls House, which is an exact model of a 20th century monarch's house. Regular exhibitions of treasures from the Royal Library are conducted at the Drawings Gallery. The Windsor Castle is the site for many a royal family wedding including the recent marriage of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles. Many kings and royal family members are also buried here. The name 'House of Windsor' was also adopted by the royal family during the First World War to replace the earlier German name of 'House of Saxe Coburg-Gotha'. Most of the Upper Ward of the castle including St. George's Hall was extensively damaged in a fire in November 1992 and the restoration work carried out contributed to the further improvement of the castle. Its restoration was one of the biggest building projects in the country during the 20th century and revived many traditional crafts. The project took five years and was completed in November 1997 at a cost of 37 million sterling pounds (59.2 million US dollars). The castle is presently in the charge of a Constable and Governor and its day-to-day operations are run by a Superintendent. ########### Venue for meetings and conventions
This is the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) in the city of Putrajaya in Malaysia. The multi-storey building is situated atop a hill, which contributes to its attractiveness. The structure is modelled on what is locally known as a pending perak, a diamond-topped silver buckle worn by royalty at official functions. It has been labelled as a centre for Malaysians to play a bigger role in the international meetings and exhibitions arena. Originally known as Putrajaya Convention Centre, it was renamed in November last year to reflect this role in projecting the country to an international market. It was inaugurated with the 10th Organisation of Islamic Conference. The award-winning Malaysian architectural firm Hijjas Kasturi Associated Sdn Bhd designed this building. It covers about 135,000 square metres of space. The PICC has three main halls, while other major sections include the Plenary Hall, Heads of States Hall, Perdana Hall, Unity Hall conference rooms, VIP and VVIP lounges, a helipad and other facilities such as meeting rooms, public galleries, restaurant, prayer rooms and a basement car park. The largest is the Plenary Hall which has a central stage at a lower point. It can house over 3,000 people. The Perdana Hall was earlier known just as the banquet hall and boasts a kitchen which can serve 2,500 people at any given time. The Heads of States Hall can accommodate over 180 people and has a novel circular seating arrangement. Pockets of gardens in the middle of the building's marble floor, lower rooftops covered with lawn and fountains showered with colourful lighting add further beauty to the PICC. The building is covered with glass panels, which allow visitors a
breathtaking view of the surroundings. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
The Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom is known as the largest
occupied castle in the world and the oldest to be continuously occupied.
The castle in the Berkshire town of Windsor in the Thames Valley, to the
west of London, is one of the principal official residences of the British
monarch, besides Buckingham Palace and Holyrood Palace. 
Doesn't this building look vaguely like the BMICH in Colombo? Well, it
even serves a similar purpose, being a venue for events such as meetings
and conventions. 
