Vu (left) and Xu will represent Malaysia at the regional competition, competing against participants from 19 other regions for the coveted title of ‘Asia Young Designer of The Year’.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s next generation of designers is turning cultural stories into future-ready spaces, as two local students emerged as Gold Award winners at the 2025 Asia Young Designer Awards (AYDA), an initiative by Nippon Paint to nurture young design talent across the region.
Universiti Malaya’s Michelle Vun Yi Ling (Architecture) and City University Malaysia’s Xu Yinghai (Interior Design) were honoured for projects that reimagine heritage in contemporary ways – one reviving the fragmented coastal identity of the Bajau community in Sabah, while the other, transforming an abandoned Luoyang factory into a poetic space celebrating the art of Chinese calligraphy.
Their wins reflect a growing shift among young Malaysian designers: using design not merely to create structures, but to preserve identity, strengthen community and give voice to cultural stories at risk of fading.
This direction is echoed in this year’s AYDA theme, "Coverage: Crafting Cultural Legacies," which encourages participants to rediscover the traditions, practices and narratives that shape their communities.
Both gold award recipients will go on to represent Malaysia at the regional finals across 19 regions, with the opportunity to secure RM6,000 in cash prizes and an all-expenses-paid experience at the Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Design Discovery Programme, worth up to US$10,000.
“Culture is a powerful thread that connects people to place, memory and community,” Nippon Paint Malaysia general manager Tay Sze Tuck shared.
“Through AYDA, we continue to challenge participants to look deeper, design with intention and push their own boundaries, while equipping them with mentorship and experiences that prepare them for a global stage.
“Nippon Paint advances our bare-to-finish system solutions, we are reminded that creating the most beautiful spaces also means understanding the layers that protect communities, preserve culture and enable future generations to thrive,” he said.
Inspiring award winners
Architecture Gold Award Winner Vun caught the judges’ attention with a project that asks: can design help protect a culture before it disappears?
Her project, “Reimagining Floating Future: Tanjung Aru Tourism Experiential Hub,” focuses on the coastal community of Tanjung Aru in Sabah, where the rich Bajau heritage has been slowly fading due to disconnected spaces and an underused waterfront.
Vun’s solution brings these pieces back together. She designed a floating, community-led tourism hub featuring spaces like the Sambulayang Studio, a lepa boat repair workshop and floating food areas – all inspired by the Bajau people’s deep relationship with the sea.
The project helps revive local culture, strengthen community involvement, and create new economic opportunities. It also offers a smart model for how coastal areas can grow while staying true to their roots.
Vun shared, “This project allowed me to better understand how culture and community are inseparable. I wanted to honour the Bajau people’s stories while exploring how design can support their future. Being recognised at AYDA motivates me to continue creating work that uplifts communities.”
As one of the top 12 finalists last year, Xu returned with renewed purpose. His project, “Track INK”, transforms an abandoned red-brick factory in Luoyang into a serene cultural sanctuary that revives the fading art of Chinese calligraphy.
Xu designed a space that lets people experience these qualities in a simple, hands-on way. By turning an old factory into an accessible, cultural space, Track INK brings writing, tradition and community together, helping people reconnect with a heritage that is slowly fading from everyday life.
The judging panel for AYDA Awards 2025 was led by Architecture head judge Datuk Tan Pei Ing, for the Interior Design category Lai Siew Hong.
IJM Land Bhd chief operating officer Datuk Chai Kian Soon said, “AYDA Awards provides an invaluable platform for students to stretch their imagination, gain industry exposure, and step confidently into their future careers.”
This year marks eighteen years since the inception of AYDA in 2008, which has grown into an impactful platform that nurtures the next generation of design leaders across Asia. The 2025 edition received 1,764 submissions from students across Malaysian universities and colleges.
For more information about AYDA, follow the AYDA Facebook page, AYDA Malaysia or visit www.asiayoungdesignerawards.com.my.
