MLAA14 Project of the Year 2024 - George Town Esplanade, Permata Green Sdn Bhd

The George Town Esplanade, a prominent historic seafront promenade spanning 424 meters, holds a central place within Penang’s George Town World Heritage Site in Malaysia. By 2017, visible signs of deterioration attributed to rising sea levels and strong waves necessitated urgent intervention. The solution involved constructing a new seawall, slightly offset from the original, thereby creating more usable promenade space along the seafront. Local traditional craftsmen, notably those working and residing in George Town, were extensively engaged to undertake key components of the project. Furthermore, the project revived sections of the original seawall, further enhancing public access and appreciation. Since its opening in May 2023, the newly revitalised George Town Esplanade has reinvigorated local usage, generated economic opportunities, attracted tourists, and heightened awareness of its historical, civic, and environmental importance. The second phase of the project, completed in December 2023, successfully integrated the adjacent linear open space and the Cenotaph War Memorial Monument into a single unified context