Muhammad Afzal bin Hasmi from the International Islamic University Malaysia and Amirah Afiqah binti Abdullah from City University of Malaysia succeeded in bagging the winning prize for the Architecture and Interior Design categories respectively at the 14th Asia Young Designer Awards (AYDA) 2021.
Organized by Nippon Paint Malaysia in collaboration with IJM Land Berhad, the competition was themed ‘FORWARD: Amplifying Empathy Through Design’ that challenges designers to grow beyond designing one-dimensional space and incorporate the evolving demands of consumers while factoring in sustainability and environmental care.
“Today’s design demands the need for increased levels of emotional understanding. Designers are now required to make essential decisions in maximizing commercial value while protecting the aspects of nature and human emotions,” said Nippon Paint Managing Direction Yaw Seng Heng.
Muhammad Afzal’s artwork titled “Sejahtera Community Center” features innovative facilities that are intended to empower local entrepreneurship so that people’s livelihood and social needs can be sustained during the “new normal” in achieving a harmonious and resilient socio-economic community.
Amirah Afiqah’s design, on the other hand, called Bakau, aims to develop an agricultural hub with various activities such as commercial, social, education, and a preservation center so that mankind can live within the ecosystem of a mangrove forest for a sustainable living.
“The winning designs are refreshing and revolutionary. We are optimistic that our efforts through AYDA will continue to encourage brilliant architecture and interior design students, empowering them to act as catalysts to influence the environment of the future. It has been a great journey these eight years, and we look forward to more years together with AYDA”, said IJM Land Berhad Managing Director, Dato’ Edward Chong.