GEORGE TOWN, PENANG, March 9, 2021 – The Penang State Government announced the top prize winners of the Penang Bay International Ideas Competition in a media briefing today. The competition was launched in August 2020 to invite innovative ideas from professionals of all disciplines worldwide to transform the Penang Bay area (including the George Town and Butterworth Waterfronts) into a new SDG-compliant and economic zone.

YAB Tuan Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang, said that the successful conclusion of the competition would impact the future of Penang Bay, and that the next phase of the programme would involve careful consideration and implementation of plans for the new economic and SDG-compliant zone.

“The ultimate vision for Penang Bay is to transform the George Town and Butterworth waterfronts into an SDG-Compliant Zone powered by the green, digital and creative industries. It is our aim to have Penang Bay listed as an SDG City Zone to unlock opportunities and scale up the initiative. It would be the first in Malaysia and an opportunity to transform the urbanisation process for Penang in a more sustainable manner. The ideas competition has given the state much to think about while moving forward, as we crystallize the development plan for the Penang Bay zone,” he said.

“The successful transformation of Penang Bay will be an important catalyst for the state, in line with our goals for Penang2030 in shaping Penang to be a family-focused, green and smart state that will inspire the nation. With the wealth of innovative ideas we have received through the competition, and with the interest and dedication shown by our partners, the private sector and the community, I am confident we will achieve our goals of creating a new SDG City which will be crucial for our economic recovery, and perhaps inspire other SDG Cities in Malaysia and beyond.

“From my understanding, as many as 79 entries were received from 20 countries around the world and half of the submissions came from international participants which is truly remarkable as this highlights the global interest towards what is taking place in Penang,” he continued.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the focus on Penang Bay would future-proof Penang, and serve future generations.

“The whole idea is about doing our part as the current generation of Penangites to benefit the next. This is to enable our children and their children to inherit a Penang which is future proof when it comes to long-term sustainability. Having said this, the state government is pleased to have in place the measures of preparing Penang to be left in the good hands of the next generation of Penangites, and for them to then chart its future course beyond 2030,” he said.

Speaking at the launch, Jagdeep Singh Deo, executive councillor of the Penang State Government for Local Government, Housing and Town & Country Planning, said that he was pleased with the outcome of the competition and highlighted the rigorous process of selection in order to shortlist only the best entries.

“The response was extremely positive. We received over 5,000 downloads of the competition brief from 94 countries and had 79 submissions from 20 countries. Thirty-six were shortlisted in a blind judging process by a technical committee, and their submissions were then assessed by our international jury.”

“The quality of the submissions was outstanding. Many innovative ideas have been put forth for us to consider. This is an ideas competition not a design competition, so it is about generating ideas on the ways we can activate the waterfronts of George Town and Butterworth to a create a new economic and SDG City zone.

“The process was rigorous and meticulous, and the technical committee and jury worked hard to ensure that all the entries met the judging criteria and had the potential to produce viable and attractive outcomes for the future of Penang Bay,” Jagdeep said.

Hamdan Abdul Majeed, Managing Director of Think City, said that the Penang Bay programme would be a significant initiative in the nation’s recovery in 2021 and beyond, and would pave the way for the creation of a new economic zone.

“It has been slightly over a year since YB Jagdeep, CMI and the Think City team presented the idea of Penang Bay to an audience of potential investors at the World Urban Forum 10 in Abu Dhabi. The world is now markedly different, with the pandemic halting international travel and heightening our interaction with technology. Supply chain and geopolitical disruptions have also changed the global landscape.

“Amongst the crisis is also opportunity. Penang is extremely well positioned to tap into these by providing alternatives for investors, technology firms, manufacturers, culture-led tourism and creative industries. It was on this premise that we conceived of the Penang Bay concept and launched the ideas competition. The challenge for the participants was to take into account the changing world and other challenges such a climate change, and subsequently convey a set of inspirational ideas on how Penang’s core urban areas could be transformed into an integrated and resilient new economic zone,” Hamdan said.

“As you will see today, our hopes of generating ideas that change the way we think about the challenges and opportunities has been realised. With submissions from around the world a lot of effort and creativity has been put into the competition.

“The winners have been selected against several criteria which is worth mentioning as you will see these reflected in the finalists’ submissions. The first was design quality. Second was the embodiment of the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. Third was the economic potential of the ideas. And Fourth the presentation quality,” he added.

Hamdan said that the winning solutions submitted would enable GTCDC to finetune plans for the area and to invite investment.

“It is our hope that these winning ideas will enable us to refine plans for the area and attract new types of investment as we prepare for a post-pandemic world.

Our intention is to also look at the possibility of having the area listed as an SDG Cities zone. We are in discussion with UN-Habitat about it being considered a demonstration that not only inspires the nation but other cities in the region.”

PRIZEWINNERS

The first prize was awarded to Ar. Qhawarizmi Norhisham and Ar. Yasmin Rahman, of Qhawarizmi Architects (Entry 172) from Selangor, Malaysia. The jury was impressed with the way the submission addressed the Sustainable Development Goals using measured interventions that were communicated in a seamless presentation.

In second place was a team from the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London in the United Kingdom, comprising Hui Ting Wong, Helen Claire Carter, Kulkiran Bedi, Sikkharini Cintantyadwisthi and Zixuan Xiong (Entry 268). Their submission titled ‘Penang the City of Tomorrow’ considered a phased approach to the revitalisation of the waterfronts which also included specific interventions such as floating public spaces, social housing and public transport.

In third place was a submission from Aiman Al Fahmi Bin Abdul Kashaf, Aieyeesha Binti Aidi, Dr. Na'asah Nasrudin and Aareena Binti Aidi from Arkitek Kashaf and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia (Entry 247). Their video submission effectively communicated their proposal of six waterfront interventions.

Five honourable mentions (in no specific order) were awarded to:

Judit Taraba, Eleni-Maria Koskeridou, Jun Chen, Widasari Yunida Putri, Prinka Anandawardhani and Malavika Gopalakhrisnan (Entry 249) from the Netherlands

Arif Izzuddin Arif Ismail, Amir bin Shiraz Mikael Khan and Sharifah Nur Adriana Al Aidid Bt Habib Abdullah (Entry 266) from Selangor, Malaysia

Ar. Tpr. Michael Ong Chin Keong, Tpr Fang Hwei Ling, Ar. Tan Chiew Hoon, Por Chun Hau, BYG Group and BIV Multimedia Sdn Bhd (Entry 211) from Penang, Malaysia

Kevin Sutjijadi, Amirul Farras, Amanda Meilia and Gabrielle Extensia (Entry 248) from Jakarta, Indonesia

Alicia Dsouza, Andrea Dsilva, Oriana Fernandez, Sahana Deepak, Fedora Cotta and Arijeet Raikar Design Studio (Entry 265) from Goa, India.

The submissions were first evaluated by a technical committee comprising representatives from Chief Minister Incorporated, Penang, Think City, MBPP, MBSP, PLANMalaysia, World Bank, Cendana, and Reimagining City. A virtual jury meeting was then held to decide the finalists with representatives from the Penang State Government, UN Habitat, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Global Development Incubator and the Malaysian Institute of Planners, as well as an independent landscape architect from the Netherlands.

A total of USD37,000 in prize money was allocated to finalists with USD20,000 awarded to the first prize winner(s), USD8,000 for the second prize and USD4,000 for the third. The five honourable mentions received USD1,000 each. The virtual awards ceremony was hosted by the Penang Chief Minister at the UAB Building in George Town, the headquarters of Think City.

The Competition, launched in August 2020, is an initiative by the George Town Conservation and Development Corporation (GTCDC), a partnership between the Penang State Government and Think City, along with partners—Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) and Penang Island City Council (MBPP).

Further details of the winning entries and updates can be found at www.penangbaycompetition.com.