Penang Global City Center // Malaysia // Asymptote
In September 2007, Asymptote architects have announced Penang Global City Center (PGCC), a large development in northern Malaysia.
‘The Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) is a project located at Penang Turf Club on Penang Island, Malaysia. The PGCC will comprise 50,000 square metres (538,196 square feet) divided between two five-star hotels, a 75,000 square metre (807,294 square feet) Penang performing arts centre, a 400,000 square metre (4,305,565 square feet) retail complex, 25,000 square metres (269,098 square feet) divided between two office towers, 70,000 square metres (753,474 square feet) of residential properties, a 100,000 square metre (1,076,392 square feet) world-class convention centre, a 1500 square metre (16,146 square feet) observatory tower, 190,000 square metres (2,045,142 square feet) of parking space, monorail transportation, and a vast public arena.
The PGCC, with an estimated gross development value (GDV) of RM25 billion, will be sited on a 104 ha plot where the Penang Turf Club currently stands. Abad Naluri bought the land for RM488mil in 2002.
The PGCC was designed by Asymptote Architecture, under leadership of Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Coutur. It will be built on a 185 hectare plot (1.9 square KM), featuring two iconic towers – each standing 200 meter high (656 feet). These towers will boast continuous flowing curves with shining crystalline and transparent curved surfaces. It will take at least 15 years to complete.
Controversy And Criticism
The development of PGCC has been criticized as misleading and lacking in transparency. The controversy ultimately led to the widespread PGCC boycott campaign. Petitions, banners and other digital media were launched by the local community to raise awareness of the impact of the PGCC development to the public.
In early September 2007, a few major non-governmental organisations in Penang joined forces to form The PGCC Campaign Group to oppose the development of Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) Project.
// Land Re-zoning
The site of the project – the present Turf Club- was originally given by the government for a nominal sum and was zoned as ‘Open Space’. This was changed very recently to ‘Mixed Development’, even though public opinion was unanimously against it (judging from the submissions sent in by the public during the 2007 Structure Plan exercise).
By doing so, the Penang State Govt has acted arbitrarily and sacrificed the interests of the community to a group of developers.
// Traffic Congestion
The project is so large that it will affect almost every person in Penang, but there has been very little public consultation. By our estimate, it will generate about 60,000 traffic movements daily which will be channeled into Jalan Scotland and Jalan Utama (via Jalan Brook).
The traffic dispersal plan for the project leaves much to be desired and we are asking for another traffic study by independent experts to be done before any decisions are made.
// Public Consultation
During the drawing up of the Penang Structure Plan, public consultation was minimal, perfunctory and the results were entirely ignored.
The project was approved in Putrajaya, plans were finalised without any local inputs, and have now been publicly launched with much fanfare.
// Social Housing
It is a national policy that all development must include 30% low-cost units, and yet none will be built on the site. Instead the developer is proposing to build 6,933 luxury units of apartments and houses on the site.’
Source: www.wikipedia.org.
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