unfinished towers coexist with malaysia's tropical landscape in this photo series

photographer manuel alvarez diestro takes us to the city of johor bahru in this collection of images that frames towering structures against lush nature. located right next to singapore, johor bahru is the second largest city in malaysia. on the weekends many singaporeans even cross the border looking for entertainment just by crossing a bridge.

images by manuel alvarez diestro

johor bahru is a quintessential frontier city with a colonial past where much of its economic growth is connected to its powerful neighbor, singapore. in terms of morphology, the city looks a little like chongqing at the beginning of the century, when high rises were built in the wilderness like martian constructions. in fact, people often refer to johor bahru as the new chongqing. like in the chinese metropolis the new structures are isolated and surrounded with leafy greenery and no apparent connection to the other parts of the city.

the lack of organic growth to its urban planning and the intense tropical landscape gives an edge of visual adrenaline that makes the city unique. this is particularly the case when compared to the more organized city on the other side of the johore strait. with this in mind manuel alvarez diestro captures those locations where the unfinished towers coexist with the tropical landscape on the making.

project info:

photography: manuel alvarez diestro

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom