KUALA LUMPUR (May 29): Gamuda Land won nine awards, including Project of the Year for Gamuda Gardens Central Park, at the Malaysia Landscape Architectural Awards (MLAA13), held at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, Johor on Saturday (May 27).

MLAA has been organised annually since 2007 by the Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (ILAM).

“We are very proud that the work we’ve done at our townships is being recognised by a landscape architecture institution such as ILAM,” said Gamuda Land executive director Khariza Abdul Khalid.

She further added that creating a place is not just about aesthetics, but also functionality.

“Not only do we pay attention to the details of the spaces that we create, we also look into the species selection on how it would enhance biodiversity. We create places that are not just good to look at, but also functional. We pay attention to how people can effectively use the space. For example, we place the trees accordingly to not just provide shade but we made sure that it is safe for people to walk around the township comfortably. The environment that we create will be habitable for people, plants and animals,” she said.

The winning projects of Gamuda Land include Gamuda Gardens Central Park in Rawang, Gamuda Cove in Kuala Langat, twentyfive7 in Kota Kemuning and Jade Hills in Kajang.

The 50-acre Central Park in Gamuda Gardens secured three awards — Project of the Year, Green Infrastructure Award and MLAA Excellence Award under the Landscape Design Awards category.

Gamuda Cove received an MLAA Excellence Award in the Landscape Master Plan Award category for Wetlands Arboretum and an honorary award in the Landscape Analysis and Study Awards (Malaysia) category for Cove Iconic Offices.

Meanwhile, twentyfive7 was awarded two honorary awards under the Landscape Design Awards (Malaysia) category for Central Park and Quayside Mall and Landscape Development Awards category for the overall township.

Jade Hills, on the other hand, received an honorary Landscape Design Award (Malaysia) for its 1.2-hectare Origami Park.

Additionally, Gamuda Land’s landscape architect Mohamad Safiy Zakwan Baseri also won the Young Landscape Architect award. Safiy has been with Gamuda Land for nine years and was involved in the Batu Patong Eco Village, Gamuda Gardens and Celadon City projects.