Dissing+Weitling Part of Winning Team in International Competition for Light Rail Bridge in Malaysia

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November 11, 2026

An elegant 1.4-kilometre-long cable-stayed bridge with three slender V-shaped pylons is the winning design in an international invited competition in Penang, Malaysia. Its light architectural expression is carefully attuned to the city, coastal landscape and busy shipping lanes.

  • Connecting historic George Town with mainland Malaysia, the bridge introduces a distinctive new silhouette to Penang’s waterfront.

    Its slender V-shaped pylons rise just over 150 metres above the water, creating an open, lightweight expression that responds to the scale of the landscape and the constraints of the nearby port and airport.

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    Three slender V-shaped pylons create a distinctive silhouette that responds to the scale of Penang’s coastal landscape.

  • One coherent architectural language

    The bridge crosses two busy navigation channels with long cable-stayed spans, while shorter approach viaducts complete the connection. A unified design language brings the different structural systems together through carefully resolved transitions, chamfered concrete surfaces and slender piers.

    Structural optimisation shapes the architecture throughout, minimising visual mass while maintaining a clear and consistent expression from the main pylons to the approach spans.

    The winning proposal includes three design configurations, two of which integrate pedestrian and cycling routes alongside the light rail. All three share the same architectural language and structural principles.

  • Proposals with Integrated Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge

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  • Cultural identity integrated into the design

    Situated close to George Town’s UNESCO-listed historic urban fabric, the bridge draws on Penang’s rich cultural heritage. Subtle references to Islamic architectural geometry inform the detailing as an integral part of the design, rather than applied ornamentation.

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    Penang’s diverse Malay, Chinese, Tamil and Peranakan heritage shapes George Town’s UNESCO-listed urban fabric and provides an important cultural context for the new bridge.

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    Sketch

  • The lighting concept, Quiet Icon, follows the same principle of restraint. Carefully integrated lighting accentuates the bridge’s structural form, creating a calm presence above the water without competing with the illuminated city skyline.

    Together, the architecture and lighting give the bridge a distinct yet restrained presence within Penang’s urban and coastal landscape.

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    The lighting concept, Quiet Icon.

  • Client: CHEC Construction

    Collaborator: HPDI