Architecture of Penang

The architecture of Penang reflects the 171 years of British presence on the island, coalescing with local, Chinese, Indian, Islamic and other elements to create a unique and distinctive brand of architecture. Along with Malacca, Penang is an architectural gem of Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Unlike Singapore, also a Straits Settlement, where many heritage buildings had to make way for modern skyscrapers and high-rise apartments due to rapid development and acute land scarcity, Penang’s architectural heritage has enjoyed a better fate. Penang has one of the largest collections of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia. This is for the most part due to the Rent Control Act which froze house rental prices for decades, making redevelopment unprofitable. With the repeal of this act in 2000 however, property prices skyrocketed and development has begun to encroach upon these buildings, many of which are in a regrettable state of disrepair. The government in recent years has allocated more funding to finance the restoration of a number of derelict heritage buildings, most notably Suffolk House, City Hall and historic buildings in the old commercial district.

Penang is home to a relatively wide variety of architectures, both historical and modern. The historical core of George Town has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

Fort Cornwallis, in George Town, was the first structure built by the British in Penang. The city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site also covers several important landmarks, including the City Hall, the Penang High Court, St. George’s Church, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and the Central Business District at Beach Street. Aside from European architecture, a huge assortment of Asian architectural styles also exists throughout George Town, exemplified by buildings like the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Khoo Kongsi, Kapitan Keling Mosque and Sri Mahamariamman Temple. Meanwhile, the Siamese and the Burmese have also left a visible impact on certain landmarks within the city, such as Wat Chaiyamangkalaram, Dhammikarama Burmese Temple and Kek Lok Si.

Aside from the colonial era architecture, Penang Island contains most of the skyscrapers within Penang, with the state’s tallest buildings all located within the island. The tallest skyscrapers in George Town, and by extension, Penang, include the Komtar Tower, Setia V, Gurney Paragon and Arte S.

Colonial style
Fort Cornwallis, built by Francis Light as a defensive measure when he first gained possession of Penang island, is the oldest British structure in Penang. Located where the Esplanade now stands and where he first landed on the island, it was originally built of wood and was subsequently replaced by brick.

The architecture of the Suffolk House is of the Anglo-Indian Garden House style, commonly found in British India. It sits upon land once owned by Light as his pepper estate whereupon light built a humble timber and attap garden house, noted in letters from visiting friends. The current colonnaded Euro-Indian Georgian building was thought to have been built by W. E. Phillips following his purchase of the land from Light’s former partner Scott. Nestled on the bank of the Ayer Itam River, the building was used by Governor Bannerman—Phillip’s father-in-law—amongst other Governors of Penang and also the Governors of the Straits Settlements. It was occupied by the Imperial Japanese administration during the Second World War. Later, it was utilised by the Methodist Boys’ School which was built next to the house. Today, having weathered years of neglect, it is being meticulously restored with the help of researchers from the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Australia.

Other distinguished buildings from the colonial period include the City Hall, the Town Hall, the Eastern and Oriental Hotel (Penang’s first grand hotel, older than its Singaporean sister the Raffles Hotel by two years), the Mansion, the Garage, the Standard Chartered Bank building, the HSBC building, the Southern Bank building, the Uplands International School building, as well as the great trading houses of Weld Quay. Many of these render the eclectic architectural styles of the Victorian and Georgian eras as well as Art Deco and Anglo-Indian.

Chinese influence
Chinese immigrants brought with them architecture from their ancestral land as can be seen in the many Chinese temples and clan houses. Examples that stand out include the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (also known as the Blue Mansion), built by the namesake Qing-dynasty Chinese immigrant who was a hugely successful trader and community leader; the Kuan Yin Temple, the Khoo Kongsi, and the intricate clan house of the influential Khoo clan. The spectacular temple of Kek Lok Si at the foothill of Penang Hill is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. Known as the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas, it was largely built by artisans and worksmen from China in the 19th century. A great many of the shophouses and residences found in George Town were built in the style of Straits-Chinese architecture with their very recognisable red terracotta roofs.

Nouveau riche Chinese millionaires of the time built themselves stately mansions along the famed Millionaires’ Row of Northam Road (now Sultan Ahmad Shah Road). One of the most famous of them still standing today is the Yeap mansion, resplendent in white. The holiday palace of the Sultan of Kedah, Istana Kedah is also located on the same stretch.

Towkay Chung Thye Phin, last Kapitan China of Penang and Perak, was responsible for two exceptional pieces of architecture. The first was the fabled Chung Thye Phin Mansion where Gurney Drive meets Northam Road (No 2 Kelawai Road). People walking through the building found themselves strolling along subterranean passageways and chambers, gazing up at a clear glass dining room ceiling revealing live fish or marvelling at the art deco interiors of its rooms. After the death of its owner, the mansion was sold and turned into a hotel (The Shanghai Hotel) famous for its local music and “joget” dances. It was eventually demolished and on its footprint now stands an imposing condominium (1 Gurney Drive). On another part of the island, Chung designed Relau Villa, his holiday resort. The villa was equipped with a swimming pool ringed by private and other types of rooms. Its derelict structure can still be seen and explored today at Taman Metropolitan, Relau. According to family history, Kapitan Chung Thye Phin was inspired by the artistic canals of Venice and the enchanting ponds and lakes of China when he designed the swimming-pool, which was constructed by Mr. B. H. Ung, the first Chinese architect to make use of reinforced concrete buildings in the community, the Ban Hin Lee Bank being a particularly notable example.

Other influences
Indian Muslims made their mark in the Kapitan Keling Mosque located on its namesake road.

The Siamese and Burmese community of Penang built their imposing temples which portray architectural traditions of their two home nations. Two of the most famous examples are the Wat Chaiyamangkalaram (better known as the Sleeping Buddha Temple) and the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple.

Protection
Penang has been submitting to list George Town on the UNESCO World Heritage Site since year 2000, which hope to put the state in a better position to protect her rich cultural heritage. On 7 July 2008, George Town and Malacca are formally inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites with the title of Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca.

George Town and Malacca have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Malacca demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

Skyscraper
Penang Island is the second largest city in Malaysia and forms the heart of Greater Penang, the country’s second most populous metropolitan area. Populated by 738,500 inhabitants, it is centred in George Town at the northeastern tip of the island. In addition to the city centre’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status thanks to its ‘unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia’, skyscrapers and high-rises co-exist, sometimes side-by-side, with the heritage buildings.

Due to the shortage of land that is inherent in island cities, high-rise buildings have been springing up all over Penang Island. It is estimated that, as of 2016, over 680 completed high-rises and skyscrapers currently stand throughout Penang Island, most of which are located within George Town and its suburbs.

Penang’s first skyscraper remains the tallest within the state to this day. Built in the 1970s, the KOMTAR Tower was originally 232 metres tall. It now houses the offices of the Penang state government, including that of the Chief Minister of Penang. In 2016, three more storeys were added to the top, extending its height to 249 metres.

Source From Wikipedia