Nature Inspired Resort In Bali

Text description provided by the architects. Located inland in Bali, this wellness retreat has been integrated into a forest that borders luscious rice fields on one side and a dramatic river on the other. The river converges water from the whole area creating a junction of small waterfalls that produces enough flow to power a hydro electric generator that can sustain the power of the buildings within the complex. Merging with nature has been at the forefront in the approach to the design, not just by its operation but by using materials found directly on the site and the immediate locality, therefore enabling the resort to become fully carbon zero.

The first instigation of this can be seen in the dramatic use of rammed earth for all ground level walls. Being located on a hill required significant ground works, therefore with much excess soil, creating these significant mass of curved walls was easily justified. Along with being able to connect the occupant to the beauty of rammed earth with its physicality and layered coloring, it also maintains superior insulation and structural properties. Being very intensive to build we were able to recruit the nearby village to work on what has become the most substantial rammed earth project in Indonesia.

The rest of the structure has been made with bamboo, much of which was harvested from the site. Not only is this fast growing material incredibly sustainable, its flexibility means were able to create spaces that echo the abundance of life in the tropics. Built objects have been created which seek to biologically morph from the surrounding elements, in effect growing from the ground and sprouting among the rich vegetation.

One such building is the yoga studio which literally floats from the cliff’s edge with a cantilevered structure supporting a parabolic bamboo pavilion. The rooms themselves provide the eco luxury that is required for this up market project, with a feeling that is nurturing and in some feature bedrooms, almost cocoon like.

The guest villas too look towards a unique design, yet with the common denominator of bamboo architecture and the warming tones of rammed earth that make up the resort. The curvilinear formations of the roofs can be admired from different heights and angles while the reflections from the meandering pool below add to the effect.

Source: ArchDaily

Penang Ferry Suspended

The iconic Penang ferry services have been suspended until Aug 26, for emergency repair works.

A notice was put up near the entrance to the ferry terminal in Weld Quay which stated that the service was interrupted for the time being due to malfunction ferries.

Auxiliary policemen were also stationed at the terminal to divert the passengers to take the shuttle bus instead.

Rapid Ferry head Osman Amir said the three-day service suspension was due to some technical engine problems.

“The problems affect four ferries. We would like to apologize for the inconvenienced caused,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Daniel Gooi who was at the scene, shared his frustration over the halted services on his Facebook live feed.

“The operators should take responsibility as the service suspension has caused distress among the public.

“We urge the Penang Port Commission to provide an explanation,” he said.

Rapid Ferry which operates the service under Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, prepared free bus shuttles to bring passengers to and from the island with a frequency of 20 minutes.

The earliest bus available from Penang Sentral on the mainland was at 6am while the last bus would travel at 9.40pm.

From the island at Weld Quay, the earliest bus would leave at 7.10am and the final bus would leave at 11pm.

Rapid Ferry also put up a status in its official Facebook page about the service interruption, receiving angry comments from netizens.

Many claimed the notice was put up at the last minute, causing inconvenience to those who rely on the ferry service to travel to work.

Source: FreeMalaysiaToday.com

The transportation system in Penang desperately needs upgrade to keep up with the rapid growth of urbanization. It is sad to note that the issue was never taken seriously due to politics. Politicians in Malaysia are unfortunately willing to sacrifice the economy of one state simply because it was controlled by the opposition. It is a very narrow minded policy to punish a state even though it contributes huge proportion of the country's GDP annually. When a performing state is being held back politically to progress further, it is not difficult to understand why Malaysia is now lagged much behind a the small little red dot known as Singapore.

Armenian Street Penang

Anyone who visits Penang must surely go to the UNESCO heritage enclave around Armenian Street. It is the place where the famous wall painting of two siblings riding on a bicycle is located. This is the painting that put George Town on the map. Now that Chinese New Year is just around the corner, the street was recently being decorated with lots of Chinese lanterns and the was officially opened at the Armenian Park.

Traditional Chinese Opera performance can still be seen in Penang during major festivals.

Penang Butterfly Farm

Finally the long awaited revamped Penang Butterfly Farm! This place has been around for decades with the old dilapidated buildings. I always wondering why the management never thought of sprucing up the premise given that it is one of the major attractions along the Batu Ferringghi Tourist Belt. 

My ponder got answered when the spanking new building was unveiled recently. It has shed its previous unattractive facade after went through a complete makeover. It is like the metamorphosis of the eerie and ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.

The new facade has interesting display of a huge green wall with various plant species of the tropics. The main entrance now has two decent sculptures of beetle compared to the previous unrealistic giant ant.

The interior has surreal display of lighting that will surely heighten the experience of the visitors. The great all with dome skylight reminisces of a mini Gardens by the Bay of Singapore.

 

Taxi In The Sky

Many major tourist destinations in South East Asia have it such as Singapore's Sentosa Island and Malaysia's Genting Highlands. Although Penang is well known as a tourist haven, there is no unique transportation other than the heritage trishaw until recently. 

The government has decided to implement Penang Sky Cab project as their next tourism project although the main objectives is to solve the daily traffic congestion problem by integrating this project into the bigger Penang Transport Master Plan.

This is a much anticipated project as it will no doubt further strengthen the ties between the island and mainland Penang.

GEORGE TOWN (April 4): Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB)’s Penang Sky Cab, a 4.8km cable car system first mooted by the state government in March last year to connect mainland Penang in Butterworth and Jelutong in Penang Island, is expected to begin construction in the first quarter of 2018 (1Q2018).

MRCB special project general manager Dennis Tan Hui Long said the project is expected to be completed in 3Q2019. It is estimated to cost between RM500 million and RM700 million, based on similar projects in Europe, the United States and Asia.

However, the Sky Cab project, aimed at adding value, akin to a tourism project, to the RM2 billion Penang Sentral transport-oriented development (TOD), is not a revenue-generating project, said Tan.

“This is not a profitable project. It is the state government’s dream project, but we are not doing it as a CSR (corporate social responsibility) project. It is being done for our own development interest as well because it will complement our Penang Sentral project, which is an integrated TOD like KL Sentral,” he told The Edge Financial Daily last week.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the public consultation session on the detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) of the project.

Penang Sentral located on the mainland, connecting both the mainland and Penang Island, will have a hotel and a shopping mall too.

“Therefore, we see the Sky Cab project as a project that can add value to our development,” he said.

MRCB, however, cannot ascertain the exact cost of the project at this juncture because it is still conducting a feasibility study on it, he added.

Tan stressed that the detailed design, and cost of construction and materials have to be taken into account first before ascertaining the final project cost. The cable car system is a new idea and was not featured previously in the RM27 billion Penang Transport Master Plan, which has a 15-year completion period.

“It could be more or less [than an RM500 million to RM700 million estimation]; we cannot say for sure yet,” he said, adding that the group intends to fund the project internally and via bank borrowings.

MRCB expects to submit the DEIA to the department of environment this month before it gets down to the detailed design works, which it expects will be from June to December this year.

Tenders for the cable car system, design, construction and engineering will be called in August and December 2016 respectively. Preliminary designs revealed last year showed that the Penang Sky Cab will have 40 gondolas that could transport up to 1,000 persons every hour on a 15-minute journey and take in the views of the middle of the channel through an observatory tower.

Meanwhile, Tan revealed that ticket fares for Sky Cab for daily commuters had been tentatively set at RM2.50, RM15 for domestic tourists and RM35 for foreign commuters.

“The fare is expected to increase every five years. By the year 2043, the fare for commuters will go up to RM4.80, RM28.50 for domestic tourists and RM65 for foreign tourists,” he shared.

“From our study, we see tourists’ fare increasing by 20% every five years, while the commuters’ fare will rise 40% every 10 years,” he added.

According to his presentation, ridership will grow 5% per annum in the first five years, before decreasing by 2% per annum in the last five years.

“The passenger mix will involve 34% domestic tourists, 26% foreign tourists and 40% commuters. We believe commuters will shift from ferries and the bridge,” he said.

Tan added that 60% of the fare revenue contribution would be generated from foreign tourists, 33% from domestic tourists and the remainder from commuters.

Do not ask the bus driver about the value of your home. Click here at The Edge Reference Price to find out.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 4, 2016. Subscribe to The Edge Financial Daily here.

Source: The Edge Property