TUNKU Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) was in the spotlight when a singular idea born from a collective of 49 Bachelor of Science in Architecture (Hons) students won most outstanding booth design. The entry bagged three awards at the Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) Annual Architecture Student Works Exhibition (PAASWE) 2025.
TAR UMT’s outstanding design, ‘Islands in Resonance’ stood out among the 20 display booths, and was conferred Best Bench award, Best Use of Materials (jury citation) award, and Gold in Best Booth award. The exhibition held from 8 – 12 October 2025 was showcased in a local mall.
PAASWE, an annual event, organised by PAM aims to create public awareness about the architecture industry in Malaysia while providing a platform for architecture students to showcase their works to the public.
Desmond Leong Li Heng, one of the student participants said their booth concept visualised individuality within unity, much like islands in an archipelago. This concept directly mirrored the competition’s theme, ‘Archipelago: Shared Roots of Malaysian Architecture’ and was inspired by the team’s own experience of working to achieve cohesion while respecting each member’s unique contribution.
“I think 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,” he said.
The team’s unique approach, creative idea and functional design resonated with the judging panel that consisted of PAM council members and professional architects from across the nation.
“Compared to the other booths, ours demonstrated a practical bench component and we successfully highlighted the unique features of the sponsored materials composed of clay roof tiles and fibre cement boards. I believe the judges picked up on those details which helped our booth stand out from the rest,” said Koh Chua Ivan, leader of the team.
Megat Ariff Shah Megat Omar, lecturer from the Faculty of Built Environment (FOBE), was proud that his students were able to take their creative ideas and translate them 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 it allows fostering of teamwork, clear communication and real-life creative problem solving, which may be harder to instill via typical coursework.
“Through exposure to collaborative works in competitions, students will be well-prepared to tackle the challenges in the industries as soon as they enter the workforce,” said Megat.
Please call 011-1078 5990 / 011-1059 7135 or access www.tarc.edu.my for information on TAR UMT and apply online. For those who qualify, financial aid is available for undergraduate programmes.
