Muzamil Mutalib

advisor

City University Malaysia

Malaysia

Lecturer specializing in Interior Design and Architecture, with a strong passion for blending… more

This project presents a compelling and poetic response to coastal development by thoughtfully reinterpreting the effects of natural erosion specifically karst formations into a powerful architectural and urban design narrative. What stands out most is the sensitivity to context, rather than overpowering the terrain, the design harmonizes with it, allowing the organic topography to guide the spatial configuration. The resulting “crack-like” composition feels authentic, respectful and expressive of the site’s geological identity.

The zoning strategy is methodically structured, balancing density and intimacy across residential, commercial and recreational functions. Each zone is carefully layered, beginning with multi-story apartments and culminating in a more intimate engagement with the landscape through the private villas that seem to float above the marina. This transition from urban activity to natural immersion is spatially elegant and emotionally resonant. Particularly commendable is the architectural treatment of Zone 6 and 7, where the marina and coastal edges are treated not only as functional spaces but as sculptural extensions of the land-sea relationship.

Technically, the decision to raise the private villas above the quay using the marina’s structural grid is both intelligent and poetic. It maintains openness while enhancing privacy demonstrating a deep understanding of spatial fluidity and environmental adaptation. The placement ensures panoramic views and seamless access to water, while the use of rectilinear volumes anchored into the terrain reinforces the visual language of tectonic shifts and plate fractures.

Overall, the project embodies a delicate tension between architectural rigor and landscape fluidity. It’s a thoughtful composition that tells a story of erosion, memory and coexistence translates that story into a built environment that is both technically refined and emotionally evocative. This is a design that does not merely occupy a site, it converses with it. Bravo.