GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government today announced the five finalists of the Penang South Islands (PSI) Masterplan Design Competition (MDC).
Each of the five finalists are led by international and Malaysian companies to ensure all proposals submitted contain excellent concepts and solutions, and are informed by local knowledge and context.
The five winners and their Malaysian partners are: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group (Denmark) with Hijjas Architect & Planner, Foster+Partners (UK) with GDP Architects Sdn Bhd, MVRDV (the Netherlands) with aLM Architects, Tekuma Frenchman Urban Design (USA) with EOWON Architects and UN Studio (the Netherlands) with Architects 61 Sdn Bhd.
Announcing the winners here this afternoon, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the PSI project was a state government key strategic initiative, developed as a ‘people-focused and inclusive’ integrated sustainable development emphasising the economic, environmental and social aspects aligned with the Penang 2030 Vision.
“The PSI is a state-owned long-term development of 1,800ha land which will provide affordable housing, public and private amenities, with approximately 4.6km of public beaches, over 240ha of parks and 25km of waterfront promenade.
“World-class cutting-edge infrastructure and smart city features will be incorporated into this new future-forward development.
“The PSI is set to be a new catalyst for growth to deliver economic spillovers resulting in the creation of high-value jobs and drive value creation for Penang,” he said.
The long-term project, Chow said, would prepare Penang for the Fourth Industrial Revolution by incorporating smart city and smart park features with an efficient, integrated transport system.
“It will be a game changer for Penang as it will trigger a paradigm shift in the business growth of the electrical and electronics sector, healthcare industries, digital industries and tourism.
“We anticipate significant foreign direct investments as well as reinvestment from local businesses,” he added.
Design submissions from the five finalists will be displayed in a public exhibition at the conclusion of the competition, which is expected to be in April.
The MDC Master Jury Panel will be finalised and announced by the Penang government early next month.
After that, the selected winner will be appointed as the lead master plan designer for the PSI.
Last month, the Penang government shortlisted 27 out of 124 Registration of Interest (ROI) submitted for the MDC for the development of three man-made islands under the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.
Under the PSR project, the state government is proposing to reclaim about 1,800ha of the sea to build three islands south of the Penang International Airport towards the east of Permatang Damar Laut to create a land bank to fund the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
The RM46 billion PTMP project entails the construction of an undersea tunnel connecting the island to the mainland, highways, LRT, monorail and a bus network on the island and Seberang Prai.