The 9th Asia Young Designer Award 2016 surpassed 1,200 entries.
Kuala Lumpur, November 2016 – Malaysia’s leading total coatings solution provider, Nippon Paint Malaysia Group (“Nippon Paint”), together with IJM Land Berhad (“IJM Land”) announced the winners of the 9th Asia Young Designer Award (AYDA) themed, “Be Bold, Be Free, Be You”. The winners in the Student Category will represent Malaysia to be in the running for the regional Platinum Award next year.
In the Student Category, David Nee Zhi Kang from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia emerged as the Gold Award winner who also bagged the Best Colour Choice and Best Green Innovation award for the Architectural Brief, while Chai Min Lee from Taylor’s University won the Gold in the Interior Design Brief.
Understanding that both students and young professionals require platforms to expands horizon and sharpen skills, the Emerging Professional Category was introduced in 2016 to augment the existing Student Category and is open to designers below the age of 35.
The Emerging Professional Category also serves as a refresher for AYDA alumni who wishes to relive the AYDA experience and observe how their perception of design have evolved with time. For this category, the Gold Award winners for Architectural and Interior Design were awarded to Maryam Zamalik from Asas Architects and Goh Sow Yee from Turn Design respectively.
In addition to internship placements for Student Category winners and cash prizes, Gold winners of AYDA will also be given the opportunity to learn from experts in the field of design, network with like-minded peers, and to ultimately compete for the regional Platinum award in the AYDA Regional Learning Programme, which will be held in Jogjakarta, Indonesia early next year.
For AYDA 2016, a total of more than 1,200 entries from 50 faculties of higher education institutions as well as emerging professionals were received. This year’s theme “Be Bold. Be Free. Be You.” is tailored to inspire young interior designers and architects in birthing new and refreshing concepts that encapsulate boldness, freedom and originality.
This challenges the designers to explore, propel and exceed the boundaries of design as they attempt to transform their ideas into bold and impacting designs without losing the very essence which makes their designs unique to themselves.
Gladys Goh, Group General Manager of Nippon Paint Malaysia Group said during the awards ceremony, “For 2016, we broke new grounds by introducing a theme that rewards participants to get out of their comfort zones, to venture on new paths, and deliver ideas without boundaries – yet staying true to inherent components such as environmental sustainability and community centrality.
In line with our vision in nurturing design talents, we introduced Emerging Professional Category to expand our sphere of impact to encompass both students and young professionals. I’m pleased to see how some of them have grown tremendously in confidence and capabilities, being bolder in their ideas and concepts.”
Goh Sow Yee, Gold Winner of the Emerging Professional Category, Interior Design Brief said, “My design is based on Claude Monet’s famed masterpiece, The Cliff Walk. I translated the breezy, calm, and open feel of the painting into a home design that focuses on neutral colors, natural lighting, and most importantly, the users, themselves, staying true to the competition theme, ‘Be Bold. Be Free. Be You.”. I wish for the inhabitants to experience The Cliff Walk every time they interact with the surrounding.”
Goh Sow Yee’s interior design concept was inspired by the ‘open air’ essence of En Plein Air which showcases the bold amalgamation of wood and color in creating an installation that is the reminiscence of the sea and sky, both features of which were tastefully contrasted against the use of monochromatic-themed furniture and flooring.
Her lifestyle-focused idealization features a reading oasis to complement the owner’s fervent love of reading, decked in light colors and featuring a window that stretches from the ceiling to the floor, promoting natural lighting reflective of a sense of leisure and ease.
Meanwhile, Maryam’s winning master plan explores the environmental and social effects of ship breaking activities within a town of Chittagong, Bangladesh, with an architectural structure that consists of a new ship recycling yard to provide an improved space for storing and processing activities, an Urgent Care Centre which plays the role of a mini hospital and finally a Site management component that ensures that the accumulated toxic waste from oil tanker at the site are properly disposed or processed.
Her color selection was inspired by shades of rusted materials to delineate the mood space, bold and sharp, yet naturally integrates with the surrounding and materials present within the space, consisting of shades of grey, brown and red.
David Nee Zhi Kang, Gold Winner of the Student Category Architecture Brief said, “The revival and preservation of Malaysian architecture has always been something close to my heart, not only for the benefit of Malaysians but also for the world to witness the captivating beauty and potential it holds.
The design for academic & research centre of Pusat Kajian Alam Bina Dunia Melayu (KALAM) provided me with an opportunistic platform to infuse vernacular with contemporary design as one entity in enhancing a structure that is sustainable, functional and ultimately, robust with a unique identity.”
David Nee Zi Khang’s masterpiece delves deep into the rich history and culture of Malaysia architecture. Through his attempt in revamping KALAM’s academic and research centre, Nee was inspired to translate the elements of vernacular design into modern technology to remind Malaysians of the intrinsic characteristics, elements and qualities Malaysia architecture design has which are unique and sensitive to its natural surroundings.
Chai Min Li’s interior design concept is driven by Pudu’s rich history and her desire to curb further ‘degeneration’ of the surrounding area. Her concept revolves around the transformation, rejuvenation and modernisation of the signature Pudu Market into one that incorporates cross-cultural learning and the existing entrepreneurial activities of both the young and old generation by creating a learning and entrepreneurial space that brings diverse people together whilst preserving the original atmosphere of the Pudu market.
Edward Chong Sin Kiat, Managing Director of IJM Land Berhad expressed, “As a developer, I was most impressed not only with the diversity of ideas but the thought that has gone into the preparation of the submissions. These up-and-coming designers highlighted to me the future of design concepts – visionary, forward-thinking, and environmentally sustainable while bearing hallmarks of the designer’s individuality.”
“Promoting individuality and boldness is definitely the way forward in pushing the boundaries beyond our existing design paradigm. Similarly in IJM Land, we intend to raise the bar in all aspects of property development by going beyond architectural excellence and the bounds of conventional thinking,” he added.
To reflect the scale in terms of its reach and stature, Nippon Paint made a strategic decision to rename the competition from Nippon Paint Young Designer Award to Asia Young Designer Award for its 9th year instalment in 2016. AYDA is poised to be Asia’s leading competition aimed at nurturing the next generation of talents in the fields of interior design and architecture.
First introduced in 2008 in Malaysia, AYDA has extended its reach to 15 other countries across Asia namely Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and Sri Lanka.
In every instalment of AYDA, reputable and renowned design professionals serve as judges and mentors for the competition. They keenly filter through each masterwork to select the most creative and innovative designs for each category, while also providing participants necessary feedback and advice.
For 2016, Chief Judge for the Student Category Architectural Brief is Ar Sarly Adre Sarkum, of Sarly Adre Sarkum Architecture Sdn Bhd while Mr Lai Siew Hong, Chief Executive Designer of Blu Water Studios is the Chief Judge for the Student Category Interior Design Brief. Ar Serina Hijjas of Hijjas Kasturi Associates and Professor Keat Ong of Nota Design Group were the Chief Judges for Emerging Professional Category Architectural and Interior Design Brief respectively.
Ar Sarly Adre Sarkum, Chief Judge of Student Category Architecture Brief commenting on the submissions, said, “The panel of judges were faced with an uphill challenge to decide on this year’s finalists and eventually the winners, as the entries were rather close in terms of quality of content, idealization, and execution. This is a good indication that the submissions we’ve received for AYDA 2016 are of the highest quality and reflects the increasing efforts that the participants have put in.
On the winning entries, Ar Sarly commented, “The winners demonstrated a clear ability in being able to instill a personal design hallmark in their submissions, while being grounded on user-centrality and environmental sustainability, all of these in a package that pays homage to the site location,”
AYDA provides the winners an established platform to begin their promising career in architecture and interior design. Alumnus of AYDA have moved forward to becoming reputable architects and interior designers in their field - from being attached to globally-recognised architectural firms to taking on leadership roles.
“We at Nippon Paint and IJM Land are certainly delighted to see the young and talented rise up to aspire to achieve not only good but great designs for the world, to reach new frontiers in design. This is the exact reason for the birth of AYDA – to provide a platform for them to shine and to nurture the next generation of designers,” concluded Gladys Goh.
AYDA also receives the support from various industry associations and partners such as the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM), Green Building Index (GBI), Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB), Malaysia Green Building Confederation (MGBC), as well as the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air – KETTHA).
[slider id='81590' name='StarProperty' size='full']
Follow us on Wechat or Facebook for the latest updates.
Download StarProperty.my e-Mag(bit.ly/StarProperty_Emag) for more articles.
Want to contribute articles to StarProperty.my? Email editor@starproperty.my.
