52 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Guocera Marketing Sdn Bhd followed by Hume Cemboard Industries Sdn Bhd and Nippon Paint Sdn Bhd have successfully conducted their joint CPD seminar on 11th October 2014, Saturday. The event started at 9.00 am and was held at the Teratai Room of Promenade Hotel, Kota Kinabalu. The event was attended by 50 participants, 45 of which were PAM members.
The first speaker, Mr. Lim Ann Len from Guocera Marketing Sdn Bhd, delivered his technical presentation on types and properties of ceramic tiles. His presentation was followed by talks from General Manager Mr. David Moyes and Product Development Architect Mr. Suresh Balasekaran of Hume Cemboard Industries Sdn Bhd. The topic highlighted fibre cement, in solid wall and plank forms, as a universal building material suitable for modern tropical design. The final speaker was Ms. Sabrina Chow, the Senior Executive of Nippon Paints Sdn Bhd. She introduced Nippon Paint Fibercote and how to get the perfect finish for fibre cement boards.
The day’s presentation ended at 12.30 pm and all participants were invited for buffet lunch at the hotel.
The dinner was successfully held with the theme of “Sustainable Architecture”. The evening was graced by the presence the Guest of Honor, YB Datuk Teo Chee Kang, Minister of Special Tasks, Chief Minister Department. The evening was also attended by PAM Deputy President, Chairman from Northern and Sarawak Chapters, Heads of Government Departments and Presidents and Chairman of allied professional bodies.
The dinner ended at 10:30 pm with the highlights of the evening, namely the Lucky Draws. It was an entertaining evening dinner with RTM singer, Ms Rozza, dancers from Body Care Dance Studio and a local comedian to share fun with fellow architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, suppliers and all players in the construction and building industry of the region.
“The Development of Sewage Treatment” CPD seminar was successfully conducted at PAM Sabah Chapter last Saturday (21st June 2014) by Tomher Environmental Sdn Bhd Technical Sales Director, Dr. Frank Wilson. The topic was presented in a historical way following the evolution of sewage treatment from the UK industrial revolution in the 19th century to our present day in Sabah. His anecdotes from his broad and long experience in sewage treatment around the world were the highlight of this workshop.
Aspects discussed during his workshop include:
- Dr. Wilson’s autobiographical involvement in the sewerage business.
- History about sewerage treatment in general both globally and locally.
- Explanations of various sewerage treatment standards
- Survey study of STPs near Kota Kinabalu (how many are non-operative)
- Explanations of other forms of treatment like cesspits, septic tanks and reed beds.
- Issue of water pollution, eutrophication, FOG (fats, oil and grease), E coli and how dangerous it is to swim at Tanjung Aru beach!
- Details on activated sludge treatment, micro-organism growth curves, sewage screening, trickling filters, rotating biological contractors, trickling filters solids contact, tilted tube/plate clarifiers, v-notch weirs, final treated water standards and dried sludge, sludge presses, hydroponics, pipe trenches, safety hoops and safety rails, extended aeration, Biosolv advanced sewage treatment and many more.
- Some example projects done by Tomher Environmental Sdn Bhd.
There were 42 attendees consisting professional architects and architectural graduates at this event. The workshop started at 9.15 am and end at 11.30 am with tea break provided in the middle.
On Saturday, 10th May 2014, a talk on Automated Waste Collection System (AWCS) by Stream Environment Sdn Bhd has been organized at PAM Sabah Mini Auditorium. The speaker was Ir. Chea Thean Teik, the General Manager of Stream Environment Sdn Bhd. Ir. Chea is a qualified Professional Engineer (Mechanical) with over 19 years’ experience in Building’s M&E services, Mechanical Handling Engineering, Project Management, Central Vacuum Systems and Automated Waste Collection Systems.
Automated Waste Collection System (AWCS) is an environmental technology offering city grade piped infrastructure for municipal solid waste transport system via vacuum technology. Ir. Chea presented the latest method of transporting solid waste through sealed network of pipes and stored in sealed container at a Central Waste Handling Facility (or Bin Centre) within the development or even several kilometers away. This process enhances the garbage collection process to improve urban living and working environment.
AWCS addressed two key concern areas in Municipal Solid Waste Management – Waste Collection & Storage and Waste Transportation. The AWCS system is envisioned to be adopted as the standard way of handling waste for all new development, similar to other utilities such as water, sewerage, gas and power.
This was not a first time Ir. Chea did a talk for Stream Environment Sdn Bhd at PAM Sabah. He conducted a similar talk previously on 24th November 2012. Ar. Morris Bisoni introduced him before the talk, which began at 9.30 am. There were 22 attendees comprising professional architects, architectural graduates and students from Cosmopoint College. The talk finished at 11.30 am with lunch served.
