Categories
Visited since 26/11/10
free counters
Visited times since Nov 30, 2010 (View My Stats)

Kota Kinabalu: Young local architects have been urged to think out of the box and come up with creative and innovative designs that are environmentally sustainable.

Making the call, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the role of architects in shaping cities and towns in Sabah is an important contribution to the State and its people.

“Architecture is an expression of a society’s culture and over the past 50 years, many of us have benefited from the designs of good buildings and spaces that allow us to live, work and play with ease and better efficiency than before.

“Today we live in a world that celebrates innovation and there are so many innovative ways to create buildings that harness natural light and the efficient use of water, including rain, to ensure that we do not end up using more energy and water.

“This is the direction we should be heading towards when we talk about going green and conserving Sabah’s natural resources,” he said at the launching of a book entitled ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Architecture in Sabah’ at a hotel here, Thursday.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Raymond Tan delivered Musa’s speech at the event.

“The Chief Minister does not want buildings like square boxes looking like hospitals. Even hospital designs now look different.

“Buildings are an important part of our daily lives. Buildings and towns help to shape our lives in many significant ways. Buildings also express our social values and aspirations, and provide one of the primary ways by which we can visualise ourselves and our society.

“Two years ago, Sabah celebrated 50 years of independence and our decision to become part of the Malaysian Federation.

“Over the past 50 years, many of us have benefitted from the designs of good buildings and spaces that allow us to live, work and play with ease and better efficiency than before.

“As we progress into the future, it is timely for us to reflect and to take stock of how far we have come as a nation.”

Musa said innovation can even be brought into housing and thus the young minds can find ways to design or create homes that are affordable and environmentally sustainable.

“I am confident that there is a lot of research in our universities that could make these innovations possible,” he said.

On the book launching, Musa said it provides the people with a historical timeline for modern buildings in Sabah and also a visual narrative to important events that had shaped Sabah over the last half a century.

But, more importantly, he said the knowledge of buildings in Sabah featured in the book will be a way for Sabahans to study the State’s history and also to develop a deeper sense of appreciation for the local architectural profession and its contributions to the State.

“I would like to congratulate PAM Sabah Chapter for its successful publication of the book. I do hope it will inspire more school leavers or those still contemplating what to take up at tertiary level to consider architecture.

“This adds another feather to your cap as you continue to chart pathways geared towards excellence,” Musa said.

Ar. Jebb Liew, Chairman of PAM Sabah Chapter, believes that Kota Kinabalu has what it takes to hold international events and urged architects, engineers, housing developers, government officials, building contractors, graduates and students as well as the public who are interested in creative designs to attend the International Design Conference Friday at the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort ballroom.

Liew hopes that it will put Sabah on the world’s map when the Borneo Architecture Festival becomes a regional or international event in future.

Meanwhile, Tan called on architects to design iconic buildings that will last hundred years like some historical buildings in London or Paris.

He spoke on the Agnes Keith House at length which is drawing tourists to Sandakan as is the more than a 100 years old church there, all worthy of heritage conservation, although not every old building should or could be preserved.

He said it was opportune for architects to share ideas at important meetings like the International Design Conference during the Borneo Architecture Festival among themselves and other professionals, including the Mayor and other government officials who should be invited to attend, as they vet and approve development plans.

Also present were Malaysia Architect Association (PAM) Sabah Chapter Chairman, Jebb Liew, chairman of the book launching, Victor Wong, Organising Chairman of Borneo Architecture Festival International Design Conference, Michael Wong, and other officials.

BAF1

BAF2

DSC_8285PAM Sabah chapter 40th Ruby Anniversary Dinner had been held at the Pacific Sutera Hotel Grand Ballroom, Kota Kinabalu on 5th June 2015. The dinner was successfully held with the  “red” theme and “T”Tectonic. PAM President Ar. Mohd Zulhemlee An was presented as the Guest of Honor and witnessed the installation of the newly elected Sabah Chapter Chairman.

Miss Earth Sabah 2010 May Salitah Naru Kiob was the MC for the night and former OIAM 3 contestant Ms. Esther Applunius had performed 5 delightful songs to all. The entertainment includes magic show performance by 19 years old magician from Malacca and the best dressed winner announcement.

ipexIPEX 2015 was organized and held from 7 – 10 May 2015 at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall. Y. Bhg Datuk Yeo Boon Hai, Director-General of Kota Kinabalu City Hall was the Guest Of Honour gracing the opening ceremony. This year’s theme is on sustainable living and we have included the “Copenhagen Solutions” exhibition, which features solutions to making cities greener and more livable. Copenhagen city in Denmark has been awarded the European Green Capital for 2014, and with the courtesy of the Denmark embassy, this exhibition is aimed at inspiring urban planners, architects and city authorities to contemporary perspectives of Green technologies and lifestyle.

IMG_507952 participants attended the product presentation by Promat Malaysia Sdn Bhd on “Understanding fire resistance performance of Passive Fire Protection System and product, approvals and solutions of Passive Fire Protection in the Building Construction”

 by Mr. John Cha, the Regional Technical Manager and Ms Roslin Arifuddin, the Technical Support Engineer for Promat Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

On 14th January 2015, PAM Sabah Chapter CAEM Education Sub-committee had organized a “Graduates Get Together, Dialogue and Dinner Session” held in PAM Centre Kota Kinabalu where the participants consist of the Chapter Chairman Ar. Victor Wong, CAEM Education Committee Chairman Ar. Yong Ming Cheong, Past Chairman (2009-2010) Ar. Ho Jia Lit, Graduate Representative Mr. Eddie Tann and 20 Graduate Architects (member and non-member).

There were many issues have been discussed such as part 3 exam question and answer, assessment, accreditation and registration. One of the issues that have been brought by the graduates was the situation and condition happened last year during the Part 3 written examination. There have been many advises and suggestions given by the committees on how to tackle the issues on Part 3 examination in terms of study preparation, architectural practice experience, understanding on the examination questions and answering approaches, time management, writing ability and mental preparation. Most importantly, graduates must keep the enthusiasm in passing the Part 3 examination in order to become professional architects in future.

The dialogue was followed by the dinner with discussion between the Professional and Graduate Architects until 9 p.m.
IMG_4959

The talk was held on 21.1.15 at 6pm, PAM Sabah Chapter mini auditorium and attended by 30 graduate architects. The speakers are 3 graduate architects who are Mr. Irving Thien, Ms. Ng Shi Qi and Mr. Allen Solomon Chong. 1st topic presented by Mr. Irving Thien was the “Found Conditions: Design by Observation & Re-appropriation” where derived from his inspiration from the observation of local conditions of surrounding context. 2nd topic presented by Ms. Ng Shi Qi was the “Philanthropic Architecture” where derives from her interest in volumetric urbanism, variety of building types within a sensitive urban context and to develop her understanding of urban regeneration issues. In addition, she mentioned that the presentation represent an alternative way to enhance the well-being of humanity and the community and it shall begin with the places where most people live, understanding interrelationships and connection between human and non-human life. 3rd topic presented by Mr. Allen Solomon Chong was the “Drawing Parallels” where derives from his most awe-inspiring design themed subject, smidgen thought from a self-styled journeyman of the arts and random musings abound.
IMG_5021

PAM Sabah Chapter has successfully organized the first leg of its fellowship golf series at the Sabah Golf and Country Club on Saturday, 31st January 2015. The event entitled PAM/Modular Structure Fellowship Golf was sponsored by M/s Modular Structure Sdn Bhd and Mega- Q Sdn Bhd.

“The idea of the PAM Fellowship Golf was first mooted in the year 2000, and on the average 4 legs were organized yearly to promote fellowship among the architect, engineer, quantity surveyor, building product manufacturer and supplier, developer and contractor golfers” said Ar. Victor Wong, Chairman of PAM Sabah Chapter, in his welcoming note.

“We also encourage our PAM members to take up golf as a form of exercise, to keep healthy and fit. After all, the air is fresh and the sunlight, which assists to manufacture the important vitamin D in the body, is free” Wong further added.

Wong revealed that apart from the PAM Fellowship Golf where every participating golfer in the building industries are able to meet each other, there are at least two other venues where the institute provides opportunities for them to promote their respective products. One is the IPEX property exhibition which will be held at the Suria Shopping Complex, Kota Kinabalu from 7th – 10th May 2015, while the other is the conducting of product seminars and talks at the mini auditorium at the PAM Secretariat.

During the fellowship lunch, Mr. Francis Chong, Managing Director of Modular Structure Sdn Bhd and Mega-Q Sdn Bhd enlightened the participants with a video presentation on the manufacturing and application of the Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEB) structure and technology, a system to build high capacity, efficient and cost effective steel factories for speedy delivery.

There were 15 prizes for the Invitee Section, and the top five winners were first, Lawrence Wong, second, Michael Chee, third, Peter Wong, fourth, Patrick Lau and fifth, Tsau Chin Foh. The prizes were given away by the Chairman, Ar. Victor Wong.

There were 5 prizes for the Architects Section, and they were first, Ar. Tuan Haji Shahriman Abdullah, second, Ar. Robert Chin, third, Ar. Abu Husin Baba, forth, Ar. Chin Yin Tet and fifth, Ar. David Kwan. The prizes were given away by Mr. Francis Chong
group photo

IMG_4261

KOTA KINABALU, 21st October, 2014 – Local graduates architects and corporate members of PAM Sabah Chapter had the rare opportunity to attend a “Members and Graduates Get-together Dinner” talk by three senior Sabah architects whose early projects paved the way for modern architecture in Sabah today.

Three speakers gave their talks during the event. Senior architect Aziz Mahfar of Arkitek Bersatu (Sabah) shared his experience of being one of the early Bumiputera architects in Sabah after the formation of Malaysia and his observation of how the architectural process in the state has changed through the various decades.

“When I first set foot here, Sabah (nature) was so beautiful, and mostly undeveloped. But it was a logistical challenge to access sites, especially in the Crocker Range areas due to the hilly terrain and there were no roads at the time”, said Ar. Aziz, talking about some of his projects. With an architectural career spanning five decades, he also shared some anecdotes on his experiences with past clients under different political eras in Sabah and how he as a Malay architect was even once commissioned to design a Chinese temple in Lahad Datu Township.

“Clients were more open-minded back then”, as he recalled.

Ar. David Kwan of Wisma Akitek presented his experience as the associate architect for Sabah’s most iconic building Menara Tun Mustapha (formerly the Sabah Foundation building), to whom many Sabahans still regard as the pinnacle of architectural excellence in construction and corporate design in Sabah. With its steel and glass facade, the Menara Tun Mustapha was the tallest building in Borneo during 1978 when it was completed and was officiated in 1979. The contents of Ar. Kwan’s talk covered the construction process of the tower complex and how it was built using the most advanced technology available during the 1970s era.

Ar. Victor Wong, who is also PAM Sabah Chapter chairman, presented his talk on architecture based on his life experience, both as a qualified mechanical engineer and an architect.

He described how he struggled in his early years after setting up his company, “VW Akitek” in 1983 and survived with the availability of the clean OD of RM15,000/= from Chartered Bank then. Later he was commissioned to design the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) Headquarter Building, Kota Kinabalu. Through strategic planning, he was able to have the building completed in 6 months by designing the foundation on solid cut ground to avoid piling work, and the use of modular design for all the partitions, doors and windows.

St. Aloysius Church, Kampong Limbanak, Penampang, which houses Sabah’s largest stained glass window of 28′-0” high by 14′-0” wide is also another work by Ar. Wong.

 

He also spoke proudly on the Tawau Regional Library of which pre-cast concrete technology was used on the facades of the building, with the biggest circular acoustic window of 6′-0” diameter. Another iconic Sabah building was the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) cultural centre by Ar. Wong and he revealed that the building has the largest gong of 14′-0” in diameter and 4′-0” high in Sabah. Ar. Wong shared his experience on how the design was derived from the various cultural aspects of Kadazandusun motifs and lifestyle that provided inspiration for the complex’s unique design.

“Italian Glass mosaics in black and gold color, had to be imported for the motifs in the fascias” Wong further explained.

Feedback of the architectural talks from the attending guests was positive. “The talks were very enlightening”, said a graduate who only wished to be known as Ed. “To me, the highlight was the presentation on the Menara Tun Mustapha, As shown in its construction and design, for instance, the Menara Tun Mustapha  is a building of world-class standard. Overseas, buildings such as these are preserved and revitalized as part of its country’s heritage.” Other graduates concurred that it was nice to get a glimpse of past architecture and experiences shared by the local senior architects.

During the get-together dinner, the volunteer tutors and lecturers from the Chapter including a private quantity surveyor, who has assisted in preparing the Part 2 graduates for their Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia (LAM) Part 3 professional examination for the past 3 years under the Council of Architectural Education Malaysia (CAEM) Sabah program, were presented mementos in recognition of their invaluable services rendered to PAM Sabah Chapter.

Ar. Tuan Hj. Shahriman Abdullah as chairman of Social Activities thanked the three speakers for sharing their insights of Sabah’s development in architecture and pointed out the similarities of each speaker was that each displayed a leadership role as an architect of the project, hence reminding members unless they strive to spearhead projects as the main movers and key problem solvers, the architect’s role as an industry leader will be replaced by professionals from other fields. Ar. Victor also commented that at the same time, it was important to show leadership by also working closely with other consultants and bringing them together as a team.

The event organized by PAM Sabah Chapter for its “Members Get Together Gathering” was held on 17th October at Restaurant Nasi Padang Ibu at Karamunsing Complex, Kota Kinabalu.

Q&a1

PAM Sabah Chapter has organized a Design Conference in conjunction with the World Architecture Day 2014. The event was held on 29th October at the Megellan Sutera Resort Hotel and was attended by its PAM Council President, Ar. Chang Seong Aun, local architects, engineers, surveyors and representatives from the various local authorities.

According to its Chairman , Ar. Victor Wong, who is also the Organizing Chairman of the event, the World Architecture Day is a world wide event that is being held over the month of October each year since 2012, and it aims to bring together architects, planners, engineers and designers to exchange ideas and showcase award-winning works. The inaugural World Architecture Day was held in London in 2012 with the theme “Architects are Cities Changers” while the second one was in New York in 2013, with the theme “Culture – Architecture”.

Ar. Wong further added that the theme this year is “Healthy Cities, Happy Cities” and it raises the awareness on how architects can design healthy spaces, facilities, housing and urban landscape which foster happiness, health and quality of life. It also questions by what means are the architects able to bring to life to cities, to infuse them with energy, to insure their viability and sustainability, to anticipate and heal disorders and to accompany their harmonious development.

Three accomplished guest speakers from the international architectural fraternity had been invited by PAM Sabah Chapter to present topics relating to sustainable architecture, the importance of design analysis in modern architecture, religious buildings from an architectural perspective as well as inspiring a change of mindsets about built environments through good architectural design.

Ms. Ayca Ozcanlar from Arup Singapore shared her expert insights on sustainable architecture in her presentation titled ‘Designing Sustainable Facades‘, stressing to the audience of the importance of implementing sustainable architecture in the face of increasing and alarming global warming effects around the world; weather changes, of which have also been experienced in Sabah. The Turkish-born architect cited several key advancements in facade design technology and discussed the main factors of evaluating a successful and efficient sustainable design facade system. She ended her informative presentation with examples of ongoing projects by Arup Singapore that are currently incorporating sustainable design facades and how good designs add value to building properties. During the Q&A session, Ozcanlar also suggested how existing buildings could also implement sustainable designs to boost better energy efficiency.

Architect and academician Vikram Lall from India presented the topic of ‘Architecture of the Buddhist World‘ and shared his discoveries of ancient building structures built to cater for Buddhism and how its various architectural styles was influenced and shaped by the early cultures and populations around the world that adopted its spiritual philosophies. As a published author on this subject, Lall gave a brief synopsis of his findings on Buddhist architecture from an architect’s perspective, and summarized his research as an attempt to understand the process of architecture as well as the intent and solution behind the various forms of buildings.

Landscape architect Leonard Ng inspired the audience with his presentation of Landscape – The Future of Urbanism. As he conveyed the message of ‘Designing Loveable Cities‘ to the attending crowd, Ng discussed the emotive value of designing with the element of water, using case examples of how Singapore has transformed undesirable urban amenities such as flood drains and illegal dump sites into popular and conducive community activity areas, thus adding intrinsic and monetary value to development properties affected by these urban features. However, in order to succeed in these respects, Ng stressed to that all parties involved including local government departments must be willing to collaborate in their urban design and allow for an overlap of responsibilities in regards to maintenance of the said amenities in its new design and form.

Advertisements



PAM book

 

PAM mini auditorium for rent

March 2024
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031