George Town Esplanade project wins ‘Project of the Year’ at landscape architecture awards

GEORGE TOWN: The George Town Esplanade project has won three awards, including the highest accolade - the Project of the Year award - at the 14th Malaysia Landscape Architecture Awards (MLAA14).

The project, which encompasses the Esplanade Sea Wall and the Linear Garden, secured the Excellence Award in the Professional Design Category and the Preservation and Conservation Award, in addition to the Project of the Year award.

The results were announced during the MLAA14 Gala Dinner, held on May 11 at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow who announced the win at a press conference at Komtar said reinforcing the Esplanade Sea Wall was first initiated in 2018 due to ongoing deterioration of the old sea wall that posed a hazard to public safety.

"The project was completed in 2022, followed by the Linear Garden Upgrading Project, completed in 2023 at a cost of RM1.4mil," said Chow.

"The objective was to improve the overall green space within the North Seafront and to re-integrate the Cenotaph War Memorial Civic Space with the public domain of the North Seafront."

Chow highlighted that both projects were the result of a strong public-private partnership, involving the collective efforts of the state government, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), the George Town Conservation and Development Corporation (GTCDC), the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), and a team of dedicated professional consultants.

Malaysia Landscape Architecture Award event director Charles Teo said this was the first time in the award’s history that a recipient of the Preservation and Conservation Awards had also gone on to clinch the Project of the Year Award.