Aquatic Centre is a multipurpose indoor

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

in George Town within the Malaysian state of

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

. Situated within the suburb of

Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located near the southeastern tip of Penang Island, south of the city centre, it is home to the Penang International Airport, the third busiest airport in Malaysia, as we ...

, it was opened in 2016 and forms part of the

Setia SPICE Setia is a Multi-purpose stadium, multipurpose sports complex in George Town, Penang, George Town within the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. It occupies an area of within the suburb of Bayan Lepas, comprisi ...

complex.

History

In 1997, the Penang International Sports Arena ( PISA) was built by the Penang Island Municipal Council (now Penang Island City Council) at a cost of RM102.5 million. The complex included an indoor sports arena and an aquatics centre. PISA served as a venue for the 2000

Sukma Games The Sukma Games (, lit.: Malaysian Games) is a biennial national multi-sport event involving young athletes from Malaysia's 13 states and 3 Federal Territories. The games are regulated by the National Sports Council of Malaysia, the state spo ...

and the 2001 SEA Games. However, design deficiencies and maintenance issues soon led to the closure of the aquatics centre in the years following the events. The municipal government estimated a budget of RM25 million to repair the facilities. After the 2008 state election, the new

Pakatan Rakyat Pakatan Rakyat (PR; ) was an informal Malaysian political coalition and successor to Barisan Alternatif (BA). The political coalition was formed by the People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP), and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Par ...

-led

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

initiated a request for proposal to redevelop PISA. In 2011, Malaysian property developer

S P Setia S P Setia Berhad (formerly Syarikat Pembinaan Setia Berhad) ( MYX: 8664) is a Malaysian publicly traded company whose primary business is in property development. It is the largest such company, by sales, in Malaysia. Its other businesses inc ...

obtained a 30-year concession from the municipal government to rebuild and operate the complex, which was subsequently renamed

. The redevelopment project was estimated at RM300 million, but the municipal government was only required to contribute a nett amount of RM11.5 million due to cost savings from the open tender process. In addition, S P Setia received planning approval to build

Setia V Residences Setia V Residences is a residential complex within George Town, Penang, George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Gurney Drive, George Town, Gurney Drive within the George Town Central Bu ...

at Gurney Drive, as part of an additional 1,500 residential units exceeding the density limit of its existing and future projects in the state. The SPICE Aquatic Centre, which opened to the public in 2016, was constructed at a cost of RM16 million. The facility contains a Olympic-size saltwater

and a deep

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

pool, diving platforms, function rooms, a

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

, a sports clinic, and amenities catering for indoor sports such as

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

and squash. A RM4 million rooftop

photovoltaic system A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to abso ...

, touted as the largest in Penang, extends from the centre to the adjoining SPICE Canopy and is capable of generating up to annually. The centre serves as a training facility for Penang state athletes preparing for the biennial Sukma Games.

References

{{Reflist Sports venues in Penang Sports venues completed in 2016 2016 establishments in Malaysia Badminton venues in Malaysia Squash venues in Malaysia Swimming in Malaysia Diving in Malaysia Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang