George Town Esplanade by Permata Green

The George Town Esplanade, situated within the Northern Seafront of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site in Penang, Malaysia, stands as a statement of heritage preservation, storytelling and reconciliation through sound landscape interventions. The project consists of the successful transformation of three existing sites that were layered and encumbered with conflicting modern day programming and ad-hoc interventions over the years; the reinforcing of the existing 424 meter long deteriorating historical sea wall, the transformation of a 1.1 acre underutilized hard space into a linear garden, and the reintegration of the historic Cenotaph War Memorial civic space into the surrounding public realm.

The 200-year-old historic sea wall, constructed by the British after the founding of George Town in 1786, was showing signs of rapid deterioration due to rising sea levels and increasingly violent waves. The decision to construct a new sea wall slightly offset from the original wall was deemed the most feasible solution in terms of the utilization of public funds as it greatly increased the structural lifespan of the coastal promenade and usable public space by 35%.

Early community engagements in early 2017 indicated that the old Esplanade was primarily utilized by the low-income group (referred to as the golongan B40 locally), as they had little to no opportunity for access to quality public space. A portion of the original historical sea wall was deliberately preserved and restored, accessible by a sunken passageway, allowing the public greater to view and appreciation it from a much closer perspective. Calophyllum inophyllum trees, commonly known as Penaga Laut locally and an original pre-settlement tree species discovered in abundance on site, were re-introduced to provide shade to the seafront promenade.

Today the expanded seafront promenade caters for a wide range of use by the public. Joggers, locals and tourist alike enjoy the sunrise; anglers occupy the space in the afternoon. At dusk, the B40 group gather to socialize and celebrate, a testament of the human connection with the sea. Licensed baskers and vendors, also from the B40 group, further enhance and activate the seafront promenade, creating a symbiotic socio-economic environment for them and the public.

The curation of the planting plan for the linear garden narrates and encapsulates the evolution of the site; the original vegetation, the seafaring and settlement by the British colonists, the pursuit of national identity, to present day issues of water sensitive urban design and biophilic landscapes. The Atlas of Climate Resilient Tree Species, a database developed by the Penang Island City Council, was referred extensively on the selection of resilient local coastal plants.

The Cenotaph War Memorial, constructed in 1929 and rebuilt in 1948 after the Second World War, was fenced off and closed to the public due to an unfortunate act of vandalism two decades ago. Amid concerns of further isolation, the landscape architect engaged with the Penang Veteran’s Association, the custodians of the Cenotaph. This was then followed by a comprehensive public survey, where unanimous support was received for the restoration of the Cenotaph to public access. The newly upgraded Cenotaph continues to host the annual Remembrance Day Memorial Service, attended by the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of various Commonwealth Countries as well as the general public, to much greater fanfare and participation.

The project successfully advocated for the engagement and empowerment of local tradesmen and artisans. Terrazo and Shanghai plaster, a surface finishing prevalent in the 1960’s, was implemented within the linear garden by a third generation flooring specialist. The World Heritage Site Emblem, cast entirely in brass, was crafted by a young emerging sculptor in memory of the old Malay brazieries of Pak-Thang-Kay, a local street within George Town. A traditional tombstone engraver was instrumental in the engraving of the inscriptions of major historical conflicts on the Memorial Avenue of the Cenotaph compound. Concessions were made to the tradesmen for an apprentice be present and involved in these works such that the skills can be successfully passed down.

The George Town Esplanade Project has been awarded the Project of the Year, the Excellence Award under the Professional Design Category and the Preservation and Conservation Award at the 2024 Malaysian Landscape Architecture Awards, with juries acknowledging “…the landscape architect’s enduring journey of perseverance and commitment in a sector that is unfortunately least frequented by the local profession, in gradually gaining the trust of stakeholders and international partners through a series of smaller scale public realm projects to eventually be entrusted with this project of national significance, and the meticulous curation of memory, reconciliation, empowerment, celebration and hope…”.

• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:
Permata Green, Penang, Malaysia

• Other credits:
Client: City Council of Penang Island
Project Partners: George Town Conservation & Development Corporation (Penang Chief Minister Incorporated, Think City), Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Penang Veterans’ Association
Engineer: Perunding YAA, WML Coast, GH Tag Consultancy
Quantity Surveyor: Unitech QS Consultancy, Kuantibina
Historian: Marcus Langdon
Photographer: Jordan Lye Photography, Sherwynd Kessler