Malaysia will build three artificial islands off the coast of Penang that will house 18,000 residents each. The islands will be car-free, with the focus on pedestrian and cyclist access. Public transport will also be available.
According to Lonely Planet, the community, called BiodiverCity, will be powered through renewable energy, and the buildings will be constructed from bamboo, Malaysian timber, as well as recycled materials.
The design group, Bjarke Ingels together with state government and local architects, said the goal is to encourage sustainability going hand-in-hand with development.
‘If Penang is defined by its rich cultural diversity and its abundant biodiversity we’d like to envision the South Penang Islands as an archipelago where the two can co-exist in a human-made ecosystem, expanding and enhancing one another,’ the group said.
The islands that will make up BiodiverCity will be named Channels, Mangroves, and The Laguna. Surrounding the urban areas will be ecological corridors called ‘buffers’, allowing for the protection of nature reserves and parks to support biodiversity. The date of completion has not been confirmed, but it is part of an initiative called Penang2030, according to Dezeen.
The #BiodiverCity masterplan by Bjarke Ingels Group in Malaysia aims to become a sustainable destination where cultural, ecological and economic growth is secured and where people and nature co-exist in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.
More: https://t.co/JOHY2XX0kX pic.twitter.com/BeM5NOKhiX
— Archipanic (@archipanic) August 27, 2020
Image credit: Twitter
