Jesselton Docklands Brings A New Era for Kota Kinabalu

Jesselton Docklands is a tropical master plan designed to revitalize the port area of Kota Kinabalu, Borneo – the world’s third largest island. The site will feature a communal ferry and cruise terminal located near Kota Kinabalu International Airport. As a pivotal transportation hub with excellent connectivity options and rich tropicality, it is set to become a destination and gateway to the rest of Sabah. Snøhetta’s design for Jesselton Docklands will usher the city into a vibrant and dynamic future - one defined by sustainable urban living, cultural richness, and economic vitality.

This master plan redefines Kota Kinabalu’s interface with its waterfront, transforming the former port into a civic and cultural anchor for the city. By integrating resilient infrastructure with the island’s ecological and cultural identity, Jesselton Docklands positions the city as a strategic nexus within the Southeast Asian archipelago, bridging local heritage with global connectivity.

“Kota Kinabalu has a certain magic about it. The city is a staging ground, a gateway to the breathtaking natural wonders that Borneo has to offer. From the stunning marine life, lush jungles, tropical fishing cultures, local crafts and the majestic Mount Kinabalu. Our vision for the new Jesselton Docklands reconnects this once industrial part of the city back to its locality, its people and its heritage. Paying close attention to tie its storied past into a new vison for the future – a gateway to Sabah and to Borneo,” says Richard Wood, Managing Director Asia of Snøhetta.

Harmonious Island Living

The project aspires to become a benchmark for the future of tropical architecture in the region, with the potential to influence future development across the city, Sabah, and Malaysia as a whole. It is layered with diverse environmental strategies, engineered through collaborative discourse.

Located in an area prone to typhoons, the project is designed with careful consideration of wind and water to ensure it can withstand the harsh weather conditions and stand the tides of time.

The masterplan stems from an organic planning strategy that maintains a level of organization but allows the site to pay homage to the irregularities in the local fishing villages. This, in turn, assists with the high wind velocities and shading required during the hot summer months.

Echoing the resilience embedded in the granite formations of Mount Kinabalu, the architectural base is conceived not only as a dynamic civic landscape but also as a hydrological interface—designed to manage and channel stormwater through integrated systems of bioswales, rain gardens, and retention landscapes.

The design also features Ecological Patches that promote biodiversity and introduces native species from the wetlands into the project site. Landscapes curated with seasonal planting become living canvases that transition with the seasons.

Deep facades have been designed with local material to bind the site as a whole and respond to the climate.

At the Water’s Edge

Spanning from sandy beaches to picturesque water villages, from concrete seawalls to structures standing elegantly on stilts, the city’s edges encompass a rich tapestry of experiences, all intimately connected to the sea. Over centuries, fishing villages have developed lush, symbiotic relationships with the tropical context. Inspired by this, the masterplan endeavors to seamlessly integrate these diverse conditions, merging the urban life from the city on the west side with the nature from the east.

Leveraging water as a central element of the design, the masterplan relocates and reimagines the original ferry terminal to create a closer connection to the water’s edge. The terminal’s new layout features a cascading landscape that gently descends towards the waterfront. Together with the inner marina in the center of the site, it fosters a stronger bond between the city and its aquatic surroundings. Inspired by water villages, homes are perched on stilts above water, with meandering water channels weaving throughout the neighborhood. Residential and mixed-use towers create a skyline reminiscent of a mountain range, as a nod to the famous Mount Kinabalu, visible from the waterfront. Two Gateway Buildings stand as a welcoming portal, marking the project’s role as the new arrival point for Kota Kinabalu, into the nature and national parks beyond.

Throughout the site’s three plots, new view corridors offer layered glimpses of the sea within the cityscape. The masterplan emphasizes walkability, offering well-designed streetscapes that encourage to explore on foot – fostering a sense of community, safety, and connectivity. A central spine that stretches 732 meters links all the plots and the center. Shuttles assist as new mobility for the site, enhancing the feasibility of pedestrian-only placemaking. Various pathways, bridges, podiums, and pavilions weave a coastal condition where natural beauty and human creativity intersect. This picturesque setting blends lush vegetation, water features, and architectural elements that represent the character of Kota Kinabalu.

Through the strategic reuse of industrial pier foundations and the careful calibration of the waterfront, the Jesselton Docklands articulates an eco-friendly and community-oriented gateway to Kota Kinabalu, focused on well-being, where natural processes and urban life coalesce at the water’s edge.

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