Hui Qi (right) receiving her award from Wee Siew Kim, co-president of Nippon Paint Holdings Co Ltd and Group chief executive officer of NIPSEA Group.
TWO local university students have triumphed in the AYDA Best Sustainable Design Awards by Nippon Paint for both architectural and interior design categories at the international finale held in Landmark 81, Vietnam.
After winning the Gold Award title last year in Malaysia, both Young Hui Qi and Zachary Ding Tok came up against 26 finalists from both categories across the region.
Zachary won the Best Sustainable Award and Best Design Impact Award (Interior Design category) while Hui Qi won the Best Sustainable Award (Architectural category). They took home a total prize money of USD3,000 (RM13,942).
In announcing the win, Nippon Paint Malaysia marketing assistant general manager Datin Wong Meng Lee said: “Congratulations to all the winners as well as the finalists who have flown the Malaysia flag proudly at this event.
“They have truly demonstrated their skills, talent and passion in shaping and pushing the brushstrokes forward. We are also grateful to the mentors and judges for their unwavering support.
“Nippon Paint is truly inspired by the phenomenal entries and achievements this year, and we look forward to taking this platform to greater heights in the next edition.
“We are also proud of Muzamil Mutalib for winning Best Mentor of the Year 2022-2023. Without him, we would not be able to send Malaysian representatives to compete on the international stage. Thanks to his guidance and mentorship for the AYDA participants,” she added.
Overjoyed with the win, Hui Qi and Zachary said, “Thank you to Nippon Paint for giving us this invaluable opportunity to showcase our projects to the rest of the world. It is such an honour to be able to present our ideas on a global stage. This rewarding experience helps to broaden our horizons and shape our design skills.”
Hui Qi presented her winning project last year, called Paradox Unity, in which she was inspired to build a cultural and meditative memorial centre for the Batek ethnic community.
Meanwhile, Zachary featured his identity as a Sarawakian through his design, “Kamek” (which means “I”).
Muzamil hoped there would be more platforms like AYDA that help many architectural and interior design students grow and develop their skills.
This year, the AYDA Awards 2022-2023 received an astounding number of entries totalling 5,184 from 921 colleges and universities spanning 15 geographical locations.
During the ceremony, Tsai Pei-Chi from Taiwan and Arya Putra from Indonesia were crowned Designers of the Year 2022-2023 in both the architectural and interior design categories, respectively.
The winners will attend Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design’s Design Discovery programme, worth up to USD10,000 (RM46,475).
First launched in 2008, the AYDA Awards by Nippon Paint is an esteemed design competition that provides budding architects and designers globally a platform to showcase their talents and bring them through a holistic journey where they are nurtured to design responsibly and sustainably.
The theme for the AYDA Awards 2023-2024 will be Converge: Championing Purposeful Designs, to challenge designers across the globe to show their design voice, find a cause worth fighting for, and amplify their message through the power of media.
To be part of the AYDA Awards 2023-2024, submit application by Oct 6. For details, visit www.asiayoungdesignerawards.com.
