Snøhetta Reveals Jesselton Docklands Development in Kota Kinabalu
Architecture studio Snøhetta has unveiled its design for a striking mixed-use coastal development in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Known as Jesselton Docklands, the project spans 114,000 square metres along the city’s waterfront in northern Borneo. This new development is envisioned as more than a set of towers and offices. It is conceived as a cultural, ecological, and civic landmark that reshapes the way Kota Kinabalu connects with its coastal edge.
Organised around a central marina, the plan features residential and commercial towers, hotels, and offices arranged in three interconnected plots. The massing of the towers recalls the silhouette of Mount Kinabalu, the iconic mountain visible from the city’s shoreline. Snøhetta describes the project as a new civic anchor, transforming a former port into a dynamic and resilient urban district. The design also incorporates hydrological strategies, ecological systems, and references to local traditions, from stilted water villages to timber walkways. In doing so, Jesselton Docklands blends architecture, landscape, and cultural heritage into a waterfront destination designed for both local communities and global visitors.
Key Features of the Project
The master plan emphasises a dialogue between the city, the sea, and Mount Kinabalu. Its main components include:
- An inner marina acting as the heart of the development, complete with a ferry terminal designed with cascading levels descending to the waterfront.
- Tapered towers housing residential, commercial, and hospitality spaces, with silhouettes evoking the peaks of a mountain range.
- A 732-metre-long walkway functioning as the “spine” of the project, connecting the three separate plots into one unified district.
- Stilted homes inspired by traditional water villages, raised above winding water channels with wood-clad bridges and platforms.
- Resilient infrastructure, including rain gardens, vegetated channels, and stormwater retention landscapes.
Development Overview
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Total area | 114,000 m² |
| Main components | Residential towers, commercial towers, hotels, offices, inner marina, ferry terminal |
| Design inspiration | Mount Kinabalu and local water villages |
| Connectivity | 732-metre walkway across three plots |
| Resilience measures | Rain gardens, retention landscapes, vegetated channels |
Design Strategies
Snøhetta’s design philosophy for Jesselton Docklands integrates ecological and cultural layers. The waterfront entrance is framed by two sloping arched buildings that form a symbolic portal. A raised bridge leads visitors into the central marina, where a mix of vegetation, water features, and architectural elements define the character of the space. The towers taper as they rise, creating a mountain-like profile, while colourful facades bring vibrancy to the city skyline.
Homes on stilts are a direct reference to the vernacular traditions of Borneo. These are connected by weaving wooden walkways, producing a sense of community and continuity across the site. The ecological systems embedded in the master plan ensure that stormwater management is integral to the design rather than an afterthought, making the development both visually striking and functionally sustainable.
Table: Infrastructure and Ecological Features
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Water management | Vegetated channels, stormwater retention systems |
| Green spaces | Rain gardens, landscaped walkways |
| Transport integration | Ferry terminal with cascading access to the waterfront |
| Community features | Wooden bridges, stilted homes, public platforms |
Architectural Analysis
The Jesselton Docklands project demonstrates how design logic can anchor a new urban identity. The use of tapered towers echoing Mount Kinabalu ties the development to its geographic context, giving it a symbolic as well as practical resonance. Material choices such as timber walkways reference traditional building materials of Borneo’s water villages, creating continuity between old and new.
The hydrological framework reveals a sensitivity to environmental risks such as heavy rain and coastal flooding. By embedding stormwater systems into the spatial composition, Snøhetta avoids treating infrastructure as invisible. Instead, the ecological landscape becomes a defining design feature. The project’s critical strength lies in its blending of global architectural language with vernacular traditions, though one may question whether large-scale development risks overshadowing smaller local identities.
Project Importance
For architects and urban designers, Jesselton Docklands provides a case study in how large-scale coastal projects can balance global ambition with local context. It teaches that resilience is not simply about technology but also about cultural integration. The stilted homes show how typologies can be adapted and scaled for contemporary contexts.
The project contributes to architectural thinking by reimagining waterfront development as a civic and cultural anchor rather than merely a commercial hub. It highlights how projects of this scale can become laboratories for merging hydrological systems, ecological landscapes, and traditional forms. At a time when coastal cities face mounting pressures from climate change, this project’s strategies carry forward-looking relevance.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
Jesselton Docklands presents a layered composition of towers, stilted homes, and walkways shaped to echo Mount Kinabalu. The visuals communicate a blend of urban density and ecological rhythm. Yet, one must ask whether the symbolic gestures of mountain-like skylines might risk becoming repetitive rather than deeply contextual. The design excels in integrating hydrological systems and vernacular references, although the challenge remains in ensuring genuine cultural integration rather than symbolic representation. Its greatest value lies in demonstrating how future coastal cities can embed resilience and identity into the very framework of their urban form.
Conclusion
Snøhetta’s Jesselton Docklands project is more than a new skyline for Kota Kinabalu. It is an attempt to rewrite the city’s relationship with its waterfront by combining cultural heritage, ecological infrastructure, and global connectivity. The 114,000-square-metre development redefines the former port as a civic and cultural anchor, with public spaces, residential towers, and commercial opportunities woven into an integrated master plan.
Its architectural strategies highlight the value of connecting past and present, from stilted homes inspired by water villages to tapered towers reminiscent of Mount Kinabalu. By embedding hydrological resilience into the urban fabric, the project provides a lesson in how cities can adapt to environmental change while reinforcing cultural identity. The critical question will be how well this vision translates into lived urban experience, but its ambition places it as a significant reference point for coastal architecture in Southeast Asia and beyond.
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