Our pride: TAR UMT students presenting their booth design.
An idea born from a collective of 49 Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) students was translated into an outstanding booth design that won three awards at the recent Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) Annual Architecture Student Works Exhibition (PAASWE) 2025.
Showcased during the exhibition held from Oct 8 to 12 at 1 Utama Shopping Centre, the Bachelor of Science in Architecture (Honours) students’ booth stood out among 20 others, earning the Best Bench Award, Best Use of Materials (Jury Citation) Award, and Gold in Best Booth Award.
Dubbed “Islands in Resonance”, the booth concept was aimed at celebrating individuality within a united existence, much like islands in an archipelago, said student participant Desmond Leong Li Heng.
The concept mirrored the competition’s “Archipelago: Shared Roots of Malaysian Architecture” theme and was inspired by the team’s own experience of working to achieve cohesion while respecting each member’s unique contribution.
“The biggest challenge was coming to an agreement on an idea that everyone would be happy with.
“We took about two weeks to settle on a design and another two weeks to complete the construction of the booth, but all that hard work and effort paid off in the end,” said Leong.
The team’s unique approach, creative idea and functional design resonated with the judging panel, which comprised PAM council members and professional architects from across the nation.
“Compared to the other booths, ours demonstrated a practical bench component and successfully highlighted the unique features of the sponsored materials: clay roof tiles and fibre cement boards.
“I think the judges picked up on those details, which helped our booth stand out from the rest,” said team leader Koh Chua Ivan.
TAR UMT Faculty of Built Environment lecturer Megat Ariff Shah Megat Omar expressed pride that his students were able to turn their creative ideas into an award-winning structure.
“The students showed perseverance and flexibility in handling various challenges presented to them, such as budgeting, material procurement and design issues, all while preserving their design vision.
“The judges were very impressed with their approach, creativity, design language and practical application of their booth, especially the bench and material selection.
“Competitions like PAASWE are essential to students’ growth as they allow the fostering of teamwork, clear communication and real-life creative problem-solving, which may be harder to instil during coursework,” he said, adding that through exposure to collaborative works like this, students will be well-prepared to tackle the challenges in the industries as soon as they enter the workforce.
PAASWE is an annual event organised by PAM that aims to create public awareness about the architecture industry in Malaysia and provide a platform for architecture students to showcase their works to the public.
