Malaysia
Marriott Penang
Client
BSG Group (Boon Siew Group)
Location
Malaysia
Size
61,309 sqm
Status
Completed in 2023
Marriott Penang at Gurney Drive is a mixed development that comprises Marriott Hotel, Marriott Executive Apartments, and Marriott Brand Residences. Positioned along Gurney Drive, a popular seafront promenade in George Town Penang, the site is a narrow strip of land pointing towards the sea.
The massing is composed of a 10-storey-high podium housing hotel and residential facilities, a car park, and a tower rising up to 55 storeys. An articulated perforated metal skin wraps around the podium to create a gradient of porosity from more solid when fronting the streets to more porous along the side elevations to provide natural ventilation to the car park levels. The gradual slanting of the façade's perforated panels gives a sense of movement and depth although the skin remains relatively flat due to site constraints.
The facade that fronts the sea draws inspiration from large sails bellowing in the wind and are expressed through multiple ledges that gradually shift position to generate a sense of movement. The façade expression is discrete from afar and becomes more vivid as one approaches the building. Upfront, the façade articulates a sculptural expression of overlapping ledges that leads up to the crown of the tower.