JUDGES SELECTED FOR SWK’S FIRST ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION

Published date: 9th March 2021

Langit Judges Include Both Peninsula And Sarawakian Heavyweights

Ar. Ivy Jong

Ar. Mike Boon

Mr. Yu Ji

Ar. Lillian Tay

Datuk Ar. Ezumi Harzani

KUCHING: The Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) has unveiled jury members for Langit, a design competition for a high-rise in Kuching.

The jury includes peninsula Malaysia heavyweights like Ar Lilian Tay, who is Veritas Design Group Vice President, and Sarawakian notables like Ar Mike Boon, a multi-award winning conservation and green architecture specialist.

Jury members also include Datuk Ar Ezumi Harzani Ismail, the sitting PAM president, Ar Ivy Jong, who is the jury chair and is PAM Sarawak chairman. and Yu Ji, a representative from competition promoters Hock Seng Lee and Next Phase (NP).

Langit is Sarawak’s first ever design competition. The promoters, HSL-NP, are looking to build a commercial high-rise on an acre of land in the city centre.

In the design brief, HSL-NP are calling for a building with 30,000sqm of floor space, with emphasis placed on both building users and the public. “Any commercial building is also an opportunity to create more public spaces,” HSL property development general manager Tay Chiok Kee said, adding the strategic location of the land means it is easily accessible to all.

Prize money for the competition top RM200,000, with the winning entry to score RM100,000.

Registration and submission for queries began on Feb 8. The posting of answers to queries will be on March 19, while the closing date for architectural submission is April 19. The results and prizes will be awarded in late May.

Competition organiser PAM Sarawak Chapter selected Langit’s jury to reflect the promoter’s high-rise intentions and public function.

Here is a look at the jury members and the expertise they will bring to Langit.

Ar Ivy Jong, Atelier Timur Sdn Bhd Director, Jury Chair, PAM Sarawak Chairman

Ivy is the first woman and current PAM, Sarawak Chapter, Chair. A founding partner of Atelier Timur Sdn Bhd, she has worked in Sarawak since returning from London in 1997.

She has been involved in a wide range of work from institution buildings to community based projects. Her recent projects include the Visitor Interpretation Centre at Piasau Nature Reserve in Miri and the Beacon Project at Samalaju National Park, Bintulu.

Her goal for the projects are to engage and educate the public on conservation of our natural resources. She’s also a member of the Malaysian Green Building Council and a Green Building Index Facilitator.

Datuk Ar Ezumi Harzani Ismail, Arketek MAA Director, PAM President

Ezumi is a Board Member of the Board of Architects Malaysia and Board of Engineers Malaysia. Since 2015, he was appointed as the Advisory Board Members of Kuala Lumpur City Hall for four consecutive years. He was re-elected as the PAM president for year 2020/2021.

He is the Director of Arkitek MAA Sdn Bhd, one of the largest architecture practices and a winner of various awards including PAM Architecture Awards, CNBC Asia Pacific Property Award, MIP Excellence in Planning Awards and BCI Asia Top 10 Architects Awards.

Ezumi holds a Housing Building and Planning Bachelor degree, and another Architecture Bachelor degree from University of Science Malaysia. He also holds a Master of Philosophy (Policy Studies) from University of Technology Malaysia.

Ar Lilian Tay, VERITAS Design Group Vice President

Lillian is Senior Design Principal at VERITAS Architects Sdn Bhd, an award-winning architectural firm founded in 1987. VERITAS aspires to create responsible and resilient architecture that uplifts lives and inspires appreciation of the local place and culture.

In her recent tenure as PAM President, Lillian sought to promote the expertise, skills and talent of Malaysia’s professional architects, which has been long under-valued and to enhance opportunities for our architects to serve the community and contribute meaningfully to nation building.

Trained at Princeton University, USA, Lillian worked at KPF, New York before returning to Kuala Lumpur where she has been a director at VERITAS since 1995.

VERITAS’ notable projects include Menara Binjai, DiGi HQ, One Sentral, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Putrajaya Sentral, KL MRT1 stations, W Hotel, Angsana Penang, Sinkeh Hotel, Star Residences, Oxley Towers and most recently, Saloma Link Bridge.

Ar Mike Boon, Arkitek JFN Principal, Past PAM Sarawak Chairman

Mike is one of Sarawak’s most established architects, with a firm grasp of diverse architecture from mass housing to historical building conservation. His highly photogenic Toyota 3S Centre in Sibu was also one of the first to obtain Green Building Index certification in east Malaysia.

Mike graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from Western Australia University in 1989 and has been practicing in Kuching since.

“After 30 years of experience, we are still re-evaluating our roles as architects in society. I’m searching for better ideas and refinements in this place that I call home.”

Yu Ji, Next Phase Director

Yu Ji is a director at Next Phase, a family owned property developer. Before engaging in business, Ji was a reporter, first with The Borneo Post for five years, then with The Star for six years.

Ji intends for Next Phase to be a professional and design-led company. He also aims for his properties to be more affordable than most.

Next Phase is an offshoot of Hock Seng Lee (HSL), a multi-disciplinary construction specialist in Sarawak. HSL’s properties have won the trifecta of property awards — from the Malaysian Institute of Architects, Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia and Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association.

Both Next Phase and HSL operate out of its own Green Building Index certified headquarters at La Promenade.