Malaysia is one of the most culturally and biologically diverse countries on Earth. Penang’s strategic location on the Malacca Strait, at the “Crossroads of the World,” is today a cosmopolitan hub for a variety of cultures and advanced manufacturing. For generations, Penangites, plants, and animals have coexisted, sharing resources where land and sea meet. However, the island’s dramatic topography and protected environment have increasingly begun to force new development into its coastal zones, disturbing natural habitats. These developments often lack diversity and soul, using nature as a fence rather than a link, often negatively impacting local communities and ecologies.

BIG’s masterplan BiodiverCity aims to expand human activity while not only preserving, but growing and strengthening habitats for all forms of life. 

BiodiverCity proposes a manmade archipelago where natural habitats and human activity can coexist and thrive together. A place to secure economic, cultural, and ecological growth, marrying local sensibilities and global innovation.

A network of biologically-rich corridors and social destinations are interwoven to create a resilient and holistic approach that is responsive to the dynamics of water, accommodating diversity in communal experiences rooted within Malay heritage, and newly established BioHabitats.

Three diverse islands are conceived as urban lily pads, organized by a cellular structure of urban districts interspersed with, and connected by, natural patches and corridors for habitat.

The Channels, BiodiverCity’s first island, is constructed in 3 distinct and complementary phases, each supporting the next: in Phase 1, Active Destinations, including a wave garden and technology park, bring early footfall and revenue to the development; in Phase 2, a Civic Heart establishes governance and research institutions in the area; and in Phase 3, a Cultural Coast builds upon the heritage and vibrant creative energy of Georgetown to create a regional and international draw. These all come together in the Blue Plaza, the aqueous heart of the island.

The Mangroves, BiodiverCity’s second and central island, is organized around a network of sheltered urban wetlands, providing the perfect environment for its namesake Mangrove forests – a super-rich habitat that sequesters more than 5 times as much carbon as typical forest. If the Channels are an island for Making, the Mangroves build on this focus to become an Island for Thinking, with a focus on business and services. In the center of the island, the Bamboo Beacon hosts meetings, conferences, and major events – broadcasting the knowledge and know-how developed in BiodiverCity out to the world.  

Districts are efficiently connected below the BioPlatform’s surface to increase the efficiency of goods, services, and regional mobility, while maximizing pedestrian safety throughout the public realm. Above-ground streets not only move people, but also serve as BioMobility corridors for plants and animals. Urban space is shared, layered, and connected throughout each island.  

A water, air, and land based autonomous public transportation network ensures a personalized 360-degree approach to mobility. BioProgramming promotes an interactive and mixed-use public interface. BioBuildings are designed to perform, clad in living facades that shade and covered in productive rooftops that capture and grow on-site BioResources: water, energy, and food.  

The Laguna, BiodiverCity’s westernmost island, is an oasis for ecological living, organized around a central marine heart. 8 smaller islands form a miniature archipelago, where floating, stilted, and terraced housing takes advantage of the spectacular natural setting of Tanjung Gertak Sanggul.  

The Penang BiodiverCity will be a cultural, economic, and ecological capital for Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and the globe. An extension that celebrates both the heritage and innovation that characterize Penang, and a home for growing economies, growing communities, and growing ecologies, at the ‘Crossroads of the World’.