The team was ecstatic when Gamuda Gardens Central Park took home the most prestigious award for the night, Project of the Year

JOHOR BAHRU: Gamuda Gardens Central Park won Project of the Year while other Gamuda Land projects bagged eight awards at the recent Malaysia Landscape Architectural Awards (MLAA 13) ceremony held at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort.

The annual award which started in 2007 is organised by the Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (ILAM) in conjunction with the World Landscape Architecture Month.

Khariza Abd Khalid, executive director of Gamuda Land said, “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.”

Khariza added: “The environment that we create will be habitable for people, plants and animals.”

She shared, “Hence, we are very proud that the work we’ve done at our townships are being recognised by a reputable landscape architecture institution such as ILAM.

“I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to not just our consultants and partners, but also our colleagues at Gamuda Land who worked with us tirelessly to achieve this.”

A Central Park has always been the heart and hallmark of every Gamuda Land township, ever since the developer’s inception and first development in Kota Kemuning in 1995. It is where the community can come together and get to know each other.

From then, in 2018, Gamuda Land took a step further by introducing Gamuda Parks, which brings together non-governmental organisations, experts as well as consultants who work with flora and fauna, to implement continuous improvement ideas for the maintenance of the green areas within Gamuda Land towns and some of the key initiatives introduced have been among the firsts in the country.

For example, it includes conducting biodiversity audits, which serve as a guide to its landscape design, tree selections and tree transplantation.

The #OneMillionTrees initiative which has thus far nurtured more than 600,000 trees, catalysed by the advanced tree planting programme and the Miyawaki forest restoration method.

Khariza explained, “We learned from our past projects and continue to innovate on what works well for the environment and keep improving for people to live in.

“This is why we are the first property developer to scientifically audit the health and monitor the growth of the natural environments of our developments in Malaysia.

“We are consistent with what we do because we want to truly create a sustainable environment for long-term liveability.”

By mindfully crafting Gamuda Land townships with connected greenscapes and greenery patterned after natural forests, Gamuda Land further promotes biodiversity while combating climate change and delivering a lush environment for residents and visitors, encouraging indoor-outdoor connections.

“At Gamuda Land, we mindfully design and implement all of these at the early design and master-planning stages.

“We work closely with our partners, NGOs and consultants to ensure we walk the talk when it comes to sustainability – this is how we look at the details to create towns that can stand the test of time,” concluded Khariza.