PENANG received a remarkable Lunar New Year accolade as its Esplanade Seawall and Promenade rehabilitation project was honoured under the 2025 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
The initiative, led by urban regeneration specialist Think City Sdn Bhd in collaboration with the Penang Island City Council, was recognised with the New Design in Heritage Contexts award and Special Recognition for Sustainable Development.
Since its rehabilitation in 2022, the 460-metre waterfront stretch—from the Medan Renong food court to the Royal Malaysian Naval base—has become a major recreational and tourist attraction, offering panoramic sea views and improved public spaces.
The RM14 million project, which began in December 2016, was designed both to prevent coastal erosion and to enhance the community’s engagement with the waterfront.
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, regarded as a global authority on heritage and sustainable living, selected the Penang project among ten winners from six countries, including China, India, Japan, Nepal, and Vanuatu.
State Tourism Executive Councillor Wong Hon Wai was quick to congratulate Penang for adding another international award to its growing list of accolades, which this year also includes recognition by CNN and the New York Times as one of the 50 must-visit destinations in 2026.
The award jury cited the project as “setting 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 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 enhanced seawall features a wide promenade that replicates its 19th-century typology using traditional granite construction, concealed sheet-pile toes, and rock revetments to resist erosion.
A lower terrace submerges during spring tides, exposing the original seawall near the Cenotaph War Memorial, combining historical authenticity with practical modern solutions.
According to UNESCO, the project’s expert-led enhancements highlight the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage property “Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca,” serving as a model for dual-structure design, local materials use, and stakeholder governance throughout Malaysia.
This year, the highest honour, the Award of Distinction, was presented to the Iwami Ginzan Library Conservation Project in Oda, Japan, and the Sihang Warehouse Conservation Project in Shanghai, China.
The 2025 awards, marking the 25th anniversary of the programme, drew 90 entries from 16 countries, reflecting an increasing emphasis on sustainability, community engagement, and innovative approaches to heritage conservation across the Asia-Pacific region. - February 21, 2026
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