GEORGE TOWN: Penang's Esplanade Seawall and Promenade project has been internationally recognised in the 2025 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, receiving the New Design in Heritage Contexts award with Special Recognition for Sustainable Development.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai shared the news via a Facebook post on Saturday (Feb 21).
Wong also shared the jury citation that the project has set a national benchmark for conservation-cum-new design in the reimagining of a historic civic space, incorporating an innovative hybrid of traditional and modern-day engineering elements in the face of coastal degradation.
The seven-member international jury said the design maintains form and function to enhance community well-being, improve access to the waterfront, and support environmental stewardship in response to climate change.
"The new seawall now features a wide promenade that replicates its 19th-century typology, with traditional granite construction, a concealed sheet-pile toe, and rock revetment for erosion resistance. It features a lower terrace that submerges during spring tides, exposing the original seawall near the Cenotaph War Memorial.
"Under expert guidance, the enhancement of Esplanade's historicity highlights the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage property 'Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca'. Its dual-structure, local materials, and stakeholder governance are studied as models across Malaysia," the jury noted. – Bernama
