The Life of Young Architect

THE LIFE OF YOUNG ARCHITECTS

Wan Fatin Aimie Nur Afiqah Syahirah Nya’ Cahya Keumala Dayang Nur Shakirah

EDITORIAL TEAM

Dayang Nur Shakirah Nur Afiqah Syahirah Nya’ Cahya Keumala Wan Fatin Aimie

COPYRIGHT 2022 All right reserved. No part of this book, either text or image, may be used or reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.

PUBLISHER Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81300, UTM Johor Bahru, Malaysia

ISBN-X-XXXXXXX-X-X

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Acknowledgement First and foremost, we would like praise and thank the Almighty God for giving us the strength and knowledge because of His blessing, we finally managed to accomplish this monograph.

Without his blessing and the help from our lecturer and the contributors, we could not have gone this far. This monograph cannot completed without the efforts and cooperation from our group members which consists of Wan Fatin Aimie, Dayang Nur Shakirah, Nur Afiqah Syahirah, and Nya’ Cahya Keumala. We have tried our best to produce a good publication with our utmost commitment and dedication.

We also wish to express our sincere appreciation to our lecturer, Dr Azalillah Ramdani Binti Musa, because without her guidance and dedication, the monograph would not be produced properly.

The amount of support and guidance that was given are extremely valuable to the production of this book.

A heartfelt thank you to all the contributors, especially the young architects who have spared their precious time despite their tight schedules to share a fragment of their thoughts and opinions which is fundamental to the objectives of the publication.

Last but not least, we would like to express our deepest gratitude towards our beloved Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for giving us the opportunity to conduct this book publication. It has been an insightful journey for us, and I hope all of you will be inspired as well.

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Preface Young architects play a huge role in shaping the future’s design scenario. Due to the existence of senior architects who are dominating the architecture industry worldwide, their voices and stories might be overshadowed and drowned whilst they are trying to find and secure a place and strong foundation in the world of architecture. Due to globalisation and the booming growth of world population, there is a surge need in the number of architects, especially those with fresh minds and ideations. Therefore, the prospects of producing young architects seem more notable now than ever.

This book aims to highlight young architects to get to know their unique story, their distinctive journey, their colourful achievements and triumph along with the struggles and calamities that went hand in hand. Our hope is for these stories to be heard and noticed by the aspiring young architects who wish to spread their wings and follow their footpaths as registered architects who will, in the future, curate the future of architecture scene for the betterment of the world and its global citizens.

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Table of Contents

01 The Architecture Journey

02

Who are the young architects?

Locations: Malaysia, UK & Indonesia Statistic of young architects in Malaysia The journey to become registered architects

Getting to know young architects & their unique stories

The Young Architects

03

Discussion on the significance of young architects in the architecture design scene

Discussions & The Future Design Scenarios

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04

The point of view of senior architects towards the young architects

Senior vs Junior Architects

05

Success tips for young architects

Young Architect Guide

06

References

Conclusion

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01

The Architecture Journey

● ● ● ●

Who are the young architects?

Locations: Malaysia, UK & Indonesia Statistics of young architects in Malaysia The journey to become registered architects

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Who are the young Architects?

All practising registered architects who obtained their license under and by the age of 35. History has proven that designers have always evolved their work to cater to problems of the changing world. Today, in the twenty-first century, a new generation of young architects is trying to tackle a new set of challenges that have emerged from a consumerist and capitalist civilisation. The contemporary world now requires its society to look back to its roots. For these young architects, striking the right balance between various dualities like global-local, public-private, and naturistic-urbanistic in today’s fast-paced world is crucial.

“Each new situation requires a new architecture.”

– Jean Nouvel

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01

UK

MALAYSIA

Locations: Malaysia, UK, Indonesia

INDONESIA

Architecture is an area of study that spans over all generations of humanity. Throughout history, the built environment and design of buildings have undergone many changes which lead into the sprawling cities we see today. Over the years, the study of architecture has branched off into many sections and many countries which lead to various type of style, background, laws and standard.

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The Journey to Become Registered Architect LEMBAGA ARKITEK MALAYSIA (LAM)

LAM PART 1

LAM PART 2

LAM PART 3

Degree in Architecture (Accredited by LAM)

Master in Architecture (Accredited by LAM)

Master in Architecture (Accredited by LAM)

Work as a practising architect for minimum 2 years & fulfill all of the project requirements

● Who are the young architects? ● Locations: Malaysia, UK & Indonesia ● Statistic of young architectsArchitect in Malaysia What is the Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia (LAM) and Becoming a Professional in ● The journey to become registered Malaysia architects The architecture profession in Malaysia is protected by law. The regulating and governing body of the architecture profession in Malaysia is known as Lembaga Akitek Negara (LAM). They govern the entire profession starting from the definition of an architect under the Malaysian Constitution, licensing, practice, acts and enactments as well as education.

The qualifications are known as LAM Part 1, 2 and 3. The equivalent of this is RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), AIA (American Institute of Architects) and RAIA (Royal Australian Institute of Architects).

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Handbook on Architecture Services in Malaysia

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Laws and Regulations The domestic regulations governing the architecture profession in Malaysia are the Architects Act 1967 and the Architects Rules 1996. The Act has recently been amended and passed by the Parliament in 2014. The Professional Regulatory Authority (PRA) for the architecture profession is the Board of Architects of Malaysia (BAM). The functions of the Board are provided under the Section 4(1) of the aforesaid Act which includes the following: a. Registration of Architects, Graduate Architects, Interior Designers Graduate Interior Designers, Architectural Technologist, Inspector of Works and Building Draughtsmen; b. Registration of architectural consultancy practices; c. Regulation of their conduct and ethics; d. Conducting examinations for admission to the profession; e. Accreditation of architectural and interior design education programmes; f. Hear and determine disputes relating to conduct of the members; g. Development and Promotion of the profession; and h. Representing the architectural profession in any matter at local and international levels.

Professional Associations Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) or the Malaysian Institute of Architects is the professional association representing the architecture professionals in Malaysia.

The Institute provides a framework for its members to operate effectively: to practice the business of architecture within the regulation and code of conduct of the Architects Act and Rules. The primary objectives of the Institute are: a. To promote and enlarge knowledge, study and practice of architecture; b. To provide a central organisation for architecture; c. To assist and advise Governments, local authorities, or other private or public bodies; d. To promote friendly interaction and discourse amongst Architects; e. To obtain and disseminate among the Members, information on matters affecting the profession; and f. To preserve and to maintain the integrity and status of the profession.

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Handbook on Architecture Services in Malaysia Qualifying as an Architect Under the law, any persons may apply to become an architect. The person must hold qualification which is recognised by the Board of Architects Malaysia (BAM).

The duration of education and training for architects is structured into three (3) consecutive stages namely LAM Part I and LAM Part II, to be delivered in five (5) years of formal education, followed by a professional examination of LAM Part III to be obtained after two (2) years of approved practical experience.

Graduate Architect Any person who holds the qualification recognised by BAM shall be entitled on application to be registered as a Graduate Architect.

BAM accredits academic qualifications that are (five) 5 years of full time on campus courses.

BAM maintains a list of recognised architectural programs, which refer to the full time program conducted by the university or institution concerned and the list is made available at the BAM website.

An architectural graduate with qualification which is not recognised by the Board shall be required to sit the Part I and II Qualifying Examination conducted by the Architectural Examination Council of Malaysia.

Part I and Part II Examinations Applicants must possess architectural qualifications and submit the evidence of the qualifications. Foreign applicants intending to obtain Part I and/or Part II Examination recognition may also apply subject to existing conditions imposed by the Board.

An architectural graduate with qualification which is not in the Board’s list of recognised programme shall be required to appear for the Part I and/or Part II Examination.

The Examination consists of: Stage 1 - Review of school syllabus, course content and academic transcripts.

Stage 2 - Review of candidate’s course work portfolio and Oral Examination Stage 3 - Integrated Design Project (IDP) if required, upon failing Stage 2.

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Handbook on Architecture Services in Malaysia

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A candidate who fails to meet the minimum requirement at Stage 1 stipulated shall not be allowed to proceed with the Examination. A candidate who passes the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Examination is deemed to have passed the Part I and/or Part II Qualifying Examination.

A candidate who is unsuccessful at Stage 2 is deemed not to have fully satisfied the requirements of the Examination and shall be required to appear for the Stage 3 Examination.

A candidate who has successfully completed the Stage 3 Examination is deemed to have passed the Part I and/or Part II Qualifying Examination.

A candidate who is unsuccessful at the Stage 3 Examination may apply to re-sit the Examination up to a maximum of three (3) times. The candidate may apply to re-sit the Examination by submitting evidence of two (2) years of working experience with architectural firm.

Applicants are required to submit the following with their applications: For Stage 1: a. a certified true copy of identity card or passport, academic certificates and examination transcripts; b. the Syllabus and Curriculum of the applicant’s course in the School from which the applicant qualified; and c. the prescribed examination fee.

For Stage 2: After having cleared Stage 1, applicants are required to submit full portfolio of their works in the School of Architecture listed as per Proforma supplied. The portfolio shall be in its original form. Photographs, reproduction or reduction to reasonable size shall only be accepted at the absolute discretion of the Panel. Digital copies are not acceptable.

Application for registration must be submitted in the prescribed together with the following 1. 2 copies of recent photographs; 2. A copy of the SPM and STPM certificate or the equivalent; 3. A copy of the Diploma or Degree; 4. Examination transcripts for each year of study; 5. A copy of the Part I and II Examination Certificate, where relevant; and 6. Registration fee.

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Handbook on Architecture Services in Malaysia Architects Any persons with qualifications approved by BAM may apply for registration as Architects; provided that he is a registered Graduate Architect; has obtained the practical experience as prescribed by BAM; has passed the Part III Professional Examination; and is a Corporate Member of the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM).

Part III Examination Part III examination includes: a. submission of application and relevant documentation b. submission of the Practical Experience Log Book and the Professional Experience Evaluation Report.

Under the provisions of Section 10(1)(b) of the Architects Act 1967, a registered Architect shall be required to obtain such practical experience as may be prescribed by the Board of Architects Malaysia. Under rule 26(1) of the Architects Rules 1996, a registered Architect is required to complete the relevant practical experience before he/she can be considered to sit for the Part III Professional Examination. Such practical experience is as indicated in the log book.

The minimum period of practical working experience required is two (2) years (104 weeks) which must be obtained subsequent to registration as an Architect with the Board of Architects, Malaysia. The stipulated period is to be completed by 1st March, the closing date for the Examination of each year. i. At least one and a half (1½) years of these two years of practical working experience shall be in an architect’s office, of which one (1) year shall be obtained in Malaysia in an Architect’s office which is registered with the Board of Architects Malaysia. ii. Periods of practical working experience in an Architect’s office of less than one (1) year duration at any one time will not be counted towards the total period of practical working experience. iii. Post-graduate research in a relevant area related to the built environment of up to a year’s duration acceptable to the Examination Council may also be counted towards the required practical experience, provided that such experience is substantively supervised by at least an associate professor of recognised university or institute of higher learning. Additionally such research must be principally authored by the applicant and recognised by the university as a substantive research document. Post-graduate research conducted on a commercial basis shall not be regarded as part of the practical experience unless prior approval had been obtained from the Examination Council.

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Handbook on Architecture Services in Malaysia

01

iv. The applicant who, after having registered as a Graduate Architect, has further completed not less than two (2) years of full time teaching in a university or an architectural educational institution in Malaysia together with not less than a total of two thousand three hundred and seventy (2370) hours of acceptable continuous part-time practical experience in an Architect’s office which is registered with the Board of Architects Malaysia, may also qualify for the required practical experience. v. Practical experience in offices as defined in BAM’s Practical Experience Log Book, other than an architect’s office will be counted towards the required practical experience up to six (6) months subject to further compliance of certain conditions.The experience so obtained in those offices by the applicant must cover a reasonable range of professional activities to be carefully described under BAM’s Practical Experience Log Book or if more written space is required, in a separate accompanying report. Such experience must be under the supervision of an inhouse Architect, Engineer, Quantity Surveyor or Town Planner who is registered with the respective Boards. In the case of those working with building manufacturers, supervisors must be allied professionals registered with the respective Boards. c. an oral examination. The Oral Examination will be held after submission of the applicant’s Log Book and before the Written Examination. The Oral Examination will test the applicant’s proficiency in professional practice. If the applicant fails the Oral Examination, he will not be permitted to sit for the Written Examination and a portion of his examination fee will be refunded. d. a written examination. Among the subjects for the written examinations are: i. Professional Legislation and Professional Bodies; ii. Professional Architect’s Role in Society; iii. Professional Architect’s Practice; iv. Building Legislations and Regulations; and v. Building Contract Administration.

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Statistics of Registered Architects in Malaysia

LAM Annual Report, 2019

Based on LAM (Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia) Annual Report, as of December 2019, there are 2284 registered architects and 2595 graduate architects.

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01 Requirements for Registration as an Architect with Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia (LAM)

1. The applicant shall be a person who : ● ● ●

is a registered Graduate Architect; has obtained the practical experience as prescribed by the Board; and has passed the Part III Professional Examination

2. Application for registration must be submitted in the prescribed Registration Form together with the following: ● ● ● ●

2 copies of recent photographs Original Certificate of Registration as a registered Graduate Architect Copy of the Part III Professional Examination Certificate Registration fee for the amount of RM 500.00 with RM 100.00 for processing fee

3. All documents submitted must be certified as true copies by an Architect registered with the Board

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The Journey to Become Registered Architect ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS (RIBA)

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS (PART 1)

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS (PART 2)

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS (PART 3)

Degree in Architecture (Recognised by LAM)

Degree in Architecture (Recognised by LAM)

Degree in Architecture (Recognised by LAM)

2 years of practical experiences

● Who are the young architects? ● Locations: Malaysia, UK & Indonesia ● (RIBA) Statistic of young architects in Malaysia What is the Royal Institute of British Architects and Becoming a Professional ● The journey to become registered Architect in the UK architects The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally. It takes a minimum of seven years to fully qualify as an architect in the UK. In order to become chartered you need to complete Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Part 1, 2 and 3 qualifications and Architects Registration Board (ARB) membership, which together lead to your qualification as an architect.

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Handbook on Architecture Services in the UK

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RIBA Part 1 RIBA Part 1 provides you with the opportunity to develop your core architectural skills and understanding, preparing you for post Part 1 practical experience, further study or commencing full time work. You are eligible for free RIBA Student Membership from your first year of study. If you are studying a university undergraduate degree (e.g. BA or BSc Architecture) this would typically take three to four years full time, or you could study through RIBA Studio or an apprenticeship if you are working in practice.

Stage 1 practical experience/year out Stage 1 practical experience is highly recommended post Part 1 studies, and is typically one year in duration. You will need to source a workplace, employment mentor and a Professional Studies Advisor in order to record your practical experience using the RIBA's PEDR recording or monitoring tools. Subject to meeting the RIBA practical experience eligibility criteria, you can count this experience towards the registration requirement set out by the Architects Registration Board (ARB).

The RIBA encourages students to gain experience either under the supervision of an architect or another qualified construction industry professional at this stage You may choose to work for longer than one year to save money or to gain additional experience. Other options include taking time out to work in the wider construction industry, work overseas, volunteer or travel.

RIBA Part 2 Part 2 will provide you with enhanced architectural knowledge and project complexity. It can be completed in the form of a two year full time university degree or the other work-based routes as described above. The name of the award varies across providers e.g. BArch, Diploma, MArch.

Stage 2 practical experience Further practical experience: 24 months' experience in total is required to sit the part 3 examination, of which 12 months minimum should be undertaken in the EEA, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man under the direct supervision of an architect. At stage 2 practical experience graduates will be given more responsibility on projects.

At this time you should begin studying a part 3 course which covers aspects of practice, management and law.

At this stage you can become an RIBA Associate member which will provide you with a range of services and benefits appropriate to the needs of graduates at this stage of their career.

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Handbook on Architecture Services in the UK RIBA Part 3 The Professional Practice and Practical Experience Examination (ARB/RIBA Part 3) is examined through the following: 1. Professional CV 2. Evidence of a minimum of 24 months' appropriate practical experience practical training records, PEDRs. 3. Written examination papers 1, 2, 3 and 4: Paper 1 completed in candidate's own time over 4 weeks Papers 2, 3 and 4 taken under examination conditions.

4. 2000 word Career Appraisal Essay 5. Oral examination Architect Having successfully acquired the Parts 1, 2 and 3 qualifications, successful candidate can apply to register as an architect with the Architects Registration Board (ARB); the title 'architect' is protected by law, so that the public can always be sure that they are dealing with a properly qualified architect.

At this point the successful candidates are eligible to become a Chartered Member of the RIBA. This gives them access to a wide range of services and benefits, and entitles them to become part of, and have influence over, a national and international network of architects.

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01 Statistics of Young Architects in United Kingdom

ARB Annual Report and Accounts, 2019

Based on ARB (Architects Registration Board) Annual Report and Accounts, as of 31st December 2019, there are 42,547 registered architects and 27% of them are young architects which categorized under 35 years old.

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“We ensure only those with appropriate qualifications and experience are listed on the Architects Register.”

When you have successfully completed Parts 1, 2 and 3, or equivalent European qualifications, you can apply to join the Register of Architects. Being registered with ARB means that you can legally call yourself an architect. It tells your clients and members of the public that you are a fully trained and qualified professional. ● Once your registration has been completed, they will send you a letter and a pdf certificate confirming your registration. These will demonstrate to clients and others that they can have confidence in your status. ● Your name, address and registration number will also automatically be added to the online register.

The register is available to the public through our website and allows members of the public to search for an architect in their area or check an architect’s registration. Every architect has their own personal webpage, which you can enhance by adding your telephone and fax numbers and your email and website addresses making it easy for potential clients to contact you.

There are 2 types of qualifications to register with the Architects Register: a) Registering with UK qualifications - A prescribed UK Part 1, and - A prescribed UK Part 2, and - A prescribed UK Part 3 qualification b) c)

Registering with EU qualifications Registering with Irish qualifications 24

The Journey to Become Registered Architect

01

IKATAN ARSITEK INDONESIA (IAI)

ARSITEK MUDA (JUNIOR ARCHITECTS)

ARSITEK MADYA (ARSITEK MADYA)

ARSITEK UTAMA (SENIOR ARCHITECT

Degree in Architecture & fulfill 3 finished projects

Master in Architecture 2 years minimum of working experience & fulfill 6 finished projects

10 years of working experiences & fulfill 10 finished projects

● Who are the young architects? ● Locations: Malaysia, UK & Indonesia ● Becoming Statistic of young architects in Malaysia What is the Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia (IAI) and a Professional Architect in ● The journey to become registered Indonesia architects The main professional association are the Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia – IAI representing the practicing architects which was founded in 1959 and Perhimpunan Ahli Teknik Indonesia – PATI. There are three layers of architects in the architecture profession in Indonesia namely Junior Architects (Arsitek Muda), Intermediate Architect (Arsitek Madya) and Senior Architect (Arsitek Utama).

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Handbook on Architecture Services in Indonesia Laws and Regulations The Construction Services Development Board (CSDB) or Lembaga Pengembangan Jasa Konstruksi (LPJK) is the Professional Regulatory Authority for the architecture profession in Indonesia. There is no special law for the architecture profession in Indonesia.

LPJK is a statutory body under the Construction Services Act No 18 Year 1999 and Government Regulations No. 28 Year 2000 (and its revision) that issues and administers registration of professionals in the construction services including architects.

Based on the law and regulations, to practice architecture in Indonesia an architect must hold a professional certificate (Sertifikat Keahlian/ SKA). To be registered by LPJK an architect shall obtain a recommendation in the form of a competence certificate from any Professional Certification Unit (Unit Sertifikasi Tenaga Kerja - USTK) licensed by the LPJK. To be able to sign architecture documents and gain building permits, an architect must hold an Architect’s License. The license is issued by the Provincial or Local Government to the certified local architect.

In addition to LPJK as the professional regulatory authority, there are two important Councils governing the architecture profession in Indonesia, namely: Dewan Keprofesian Arsitek (Architects’ Profession Council) which organises architect certification/registration program, establishment of professional practice regulations, information; and Dewan Kehormatan (Architect’s Council of Ethics) which review, update and upgrade the code of conduct, guarding the integrity of the architects’ profession, monitoring the professional practice in general and sanctioning the malpractice.

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Handbook on Architecture Services in Indonesia

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Professional Associations The main professional association are the Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia – IAI representing the practicing architects which was founded in 1959 and Perhimpunan Ahli Teknik Indonesia – PATI Qualifying as an Architect There are three layers of architects in the architecture profession in Indonesia namely Junior Architects (Arsitek Muda), Intermediate Architect (Arsitek Madya) and Senior Architect (Arsitek Utama). Those seeking to be registered as Junior Architects or Intermediate Architects are required to have a minimum professional experience, to sit for competent assessment and to attend Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs. The registration is valid for 3 years and is renewable for every 3 years.

The candidates seeking registration for Junior or Intermediate Architect are required to have the following core competencies: a. design of buildings and structures; b. site planning and facilities programming; c. drafting of technical documentation related to the design; d. control of construction costs; e. supervision and coordination of inter-disciplinary designs (architecture-civil/structural mechanical-electrical-plumbing,etc); and f. urban design and development process.

In addition, Junior Architects must have a minimum 4 years education of Bachelor in Architecture degree and another 1 year of Professional Education Diploma or 2 year of Masters in Architecture degree. The candidate must have attended 2 years minimum internship, completed 3 projects and must have complied with the Code of Ethics and Professional Conducts and to attend 2 different classes of the professional workshops.

To become Intermediate Architects applicants must have completed 6 projects and a minimum of 5 years of experience and to attend 4 different classes of the professional workshops.

To become Senior Architects or Arsitek Utama candidates must have worked on 10 projects, with a minimum of 12 years of experience and to attend 6 different classes of the professional workshops.

Architects who have to renew their registration shall have obtained a minimum number of Professional Development Unit (PDU) under Continuing Professional Development Program. The total PDU requirement each year is determined by CSDB / LPJK which will be accumulated for 3 years.

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02

The Young Architects

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02 Local Architects

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Ar Norshahida Azili Senior Lecturer, UTM Principal, Shahida Azili Architect Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect?

I set my mission that I must get my Part III before reaching the age of 30. Before I got my part III, I worked for a company in Johor Bahru to handle the rough tasks and iconic projects. And then, I went to work for another company and I had my personal reason on why I changed my workplace. One of it was searching for an opportunity to explore a new thing. And then I got married and other challenges came. A lot of things that happened turned me into a shy person and I did not want to meet my friends and relatives because I felt like I had nothing in life.

At one point, I asked myself what was the purpose of my life if I could not even achieve anything? Then I got an offer to work in Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR). From there, I befriended people who wanted to get Part III so I felt like I had guidance and friends together to move on. I had to achieve this to prove that I had something in my life. That was my mission.

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What encourage you to pursue architecture?

I have always dreamed on making my own ideal house.

When I was in primary school, I got a first place in a competition to draw the school plan. I also watched a Japanese drama that portrayed a lot of buildings with brutalism architecture and that kind of building did not even exist in Malaysia at that time. When I was a kid, my brother made a preparation to join architecture school. So, from that time, I already prepared to pursue the architecture field, like asking around what was the requirements and so forth. I took a science stream class during high school but I dropped Biology and replaced it with Accounting. Thus, I set my mind that I wanted to work in a professional field, such as Architect, Lawyer, or Accountant.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination. How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

Yes, there are age and gender discrimination. Especially to woman architect, prepare yourself in this industry because normally people will look down on woman architect. So, you must set your boundary, criteria, and exude confident charisma. From my experience, when I got my Part III, the superiors will respect you more and have a higher expectation towards you when you are handling the project because they know getting Part III is not easy. So, when I got my Part III, I became more confident to face the older consultant principals in the meeting and they did respect me more as a woman architect because we have the knowledge. They were like “We cannot look down on her because she’s not bragging and talks nonsense. She knows the laws and regulations”. I also always wear a different mask and attitude when I do the site inspection. I am very fierce and all the contractors are really scared of me and I think that way, they will not contempt or scorn me and respect me more as a woman architect. There was one time during the site inspection, they asked me, “Can you climb up?”. To which I replied, “Why? Do you think I can’t do that? Now bring me the ladder so I can climb up to the roof beam.” They were very shocked and the next time I came for a visit, they had already prepared a proper ladder for me to do the inspection.

At what age did you get your Part III? Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III? I got my part III when I was 31 years old after I got married. I was always given the task as the project architect and I had to give a lot of advice in terms of architectural perspective because Part III is about rules and regulations. It is not about design anymore. It is about handling the project and your maturity in decision-making. The decision you made must always tally with the current act and regulations.

Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

There is a lot of challenges as a young architect. As for me, to fit in this industry is quite a big challenge for me because this field is mostly dominated by men. Also, if you talk to the consultants, they will understand what you are saying but the challenge is when you talk to the layman. How do you explain to them and how to gain their trust and make them listen to you. That is the challenge. Also, in this field which is dominated by Chinese (the consultant or in the private sector), it is a bonus if you can understand and speak Mandarin because you will have better communication with them and they will respect you more.

Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession, how do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

It is also a challenge when you get married and become a wife. You have to know how to manage your time with family and career because you have a lot of commitment. If you want to succeed, you have to make a timetable for yourself.

As for me, I have my Part III and I am also an academician.

There is a lot of things to manage at one time especially when I have to manage my kids alone most of the time because I am in a long-distance relationship (LDR) with my husband. I have to sacrifice my personal interest towards consultation and project until my kids grow up to certain age because at the moment they are in the phase where they are demanding more of my attention. We are now in a pandemic situation whereby working from home is also one of the biggest challenges for me in terms of household management and time management with my kids. At one point, I really struggled until I got depression and had to seek consultation quickly because I did not want things to worsen.

I am very grateful because I am slowly recovering and the situations are getting better.

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Describe your design style and philosophy as a young architect.

“To the younger architect or future architect, don’t be too picky with the work and demand the salary but be patient and learn first in whatever work that you got.

When the time comes, you will get the reward that you want.”

I do not favour complicated architecture styles. Most of my design style and philosophy is something that looks minimalist, refined and elegant. I like something simple, soothing to the eyes but most importantly it looks elegant. A mixture of triangular, cubism, a stack of cubes, and vertical and horizontal lines. A little bit of curves is fine but not too much.

Do you have any advice for young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III? Mostly, a younger architect who passed Part III for the first time tends to show off. Remember, if you fail one time, that is okay, because you will be humble. Do not be scared to grab the chance to face the challenges. Depression can come, but as a Muslim, I always have Allah with me. I come from a normal family, and I faced a family issue at a young age which shaped who I am today. I tend not to look down on other people. I know every person faced a different challenges in their life.

One more thing is about the profession. We always tend to see what the company will give to us instead of thinking what we will contribute to the company. We must always be sincere in our work and the reward will come in many ways.

To the younger architect or future architect, do not be too picky with the work and demand high salary but be patient and learn as much as you can first. When the time comes, you will get the reward that you want.

There is one analogy that I want to share, everyone can drive but to drive properly according to the law, you must have your driving license. The same goes in architecture.

You must have your Part III in order to have more knowledge and experience. It does not mean that when you have your Part III, you have to set up your own practice. You can stay in this line by starting up a company, becoming an academician or so forth. There are endless possibilities.

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Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect? What encourages you to pursue architecture?

Ar Hanis Nazurah Lecturer, UTM Architect, QREKA Architects Sdn Bhd

Personal Information-

I was born in December 1985 in Kota Tinggi. I spent most of the time growing up in Johor in particularly Kota Tinggi and Johor Bahru. I never went to boarding school but instead I took Pure Science during high school. My father was a teacher and my mother is a housewife and I grew up with an all-girls siblings. But my father taught us to be ambitious and independent. So that’s what motivate us to pursue better academic and career in life.

Academic Timeline● ● ●

● ●

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2003 - UTM Matriculation 2009 - UTM Bachelor of Architecture (Part 2) 2009 - Started to work with a Design and Build Contractor company in Damansara (lasted for a year because could not stand the heavy traffic and high living cost) 2010 - Started to work with Architecture Company (medium scale) in Taman Universiti, Johor.

2010 - Under the supervision of my principal Architect, I started to fill in experience log book for Part III examination 2014 - Submitted Logbook and went to oral examination (Passed) 2015 - Went for written examination (first timepassed Paper 1 and Failed Paper 2) Went for written examination (repeat paper 2 and passed) 2016 - Register as a Professional Architect and start my own Architectural Consultancy Practice- QREKA Architects Sdn Bhd with other partners.

What encourage me to pursue Architecture?

I have always loved to see nice buildings and nice interiors, I remember reading one architecture magazine during high school and that was when I first knew about this profession as an architect. Then I started to gather information about the job, the academic requirements for me to pursue this dream.

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At what age did you get your Part III? Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III?

Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

I got my Part III at the age of 31 while I was heavily pregnant with my first baby boy. Actually, I targeted to get my Part III before the age of 30, but I got married at the age of 30.

However, I managed to get my Part III during my second year of marriage. Marriage and building up your family should not stop you from pursuing your career but it should encourage you more.

My biggest challenge is when you are working in a career that is being dominated by males. You are always in an awkward situation when they started to talk about ‘guy things’ after the meeting. You need to build your relationship with all the stakeholders in the project so it will be easier to do your job. At first I usually refused to go to lunch with the stakeholders after meeting, but at one time I felt like, I really had to go so that they would feel comfortable working with me. And yes I did go after that. And when you try to socialize with them, get to know them, you will find that it is actually very easy to work with them. But you need to know your boundaries as well. Respect each other. This is the key.

The first thing I did when I first got my letter saying that I passed my Part III, I straight away told my husband about it.

My husband was actually my boss/associate at that time. He was so happy because finally, we could set our own Architectural Practice as a body corporate company Sdn.Bhd. company. It was like a dream come true.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination. How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

Age discrimination happened at any career path you choose.

Especially if you are a woman. But you need to prove to them that you are capable of whatever you are doing. You need to have the courage to learn from mistakes and do the right things afterwards. After one year of working during my earlier years, all my superiors came to me and said “Sorry that I underestimated you when you first came in. You are truly capable in the things that you are doing”. That felt like the biggest win when I heard that. And all my clients said that they were comfortable working with me even though I was still young, at the age of 25 at that time. So do not see your age your biggest obstacle but took it as a challenge. Yes, people will discriminate you no matter what. But your job is to prove them wrong.

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Describe your design style and philosophy as a young architect.

My design style mostly is about being efficient, functional and minimal. When you talk about functionality, it also means that all design elements that you propose should function well with our local climate as well, not just on the spaces arrangement. To make a building beautiful or aesthetically pleasing is easy, but to provide quality of space is the depth that you have to achieve in design.

Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession, how do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Know your priorities. Allah gives you 24 hours a day. It is plenty of time. Make it a habit to write your ‘to-do-list’ before you go to sleep so you do not miss out anything. Prioritise which work that is more important than the other. But sometimes things do not go the way you have planned.

Especially when you have small kids. But you need to always have a plan B. Always put your mind into having a plan B when plan A does not work. The most important thing is that you complete your task. That is all. But for me, my family is my everything. I always prioritise them before anything else.

Because I believe when you care for other humans and Allah, Allah will took care of everything else for you.

Habluminallah Wa Habluminannas.

Do you have any advice to the young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III? My advice is you need to have passion. If you have passion, you will always be ready to face any challenges and obstacles in front of you. Set your goals starting from the day you took architecture in the university. Regardless of whether you want to be a professional architect or an academician or even an entrepreneur. I have a lot of friends, graduating from architecture but successful making money and future in different career paths because they find passion in whatever they are doing. Know your passion. But if you really have set your eyes in this (architecture) career path, set timeline to your goals. Have a mentor be it in the university or the industry and discuss your plans with them because you need to know the process.

Gather friends with the same goal and that will make your path easier. Because they will be your support group, study group and friends that you can share your problems and difficulties.

Age “ discrimination happened at any career path you choose. Especially if you are a woman. But you need to prove to them that you are capable of whatever you are doing. You need to have the courage to learn from mistakes and do the right things afterwards.”

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Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect? What encourage you to pursue architecture?

I graduated from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in the year 2005. Right after graduation, I got a job in Kuala Lumpur, in a private firm. After two years I received a call from The Public Services Commission of Malaysia (SPA) for an interview for Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR).

Since I was under JPA scholarship during my study, I decided to attend the interview and subsequently accepted to join JKR in the year 2007.

I was inspired by my uncle, who is also an architect. I remember one time when I was in secondary school, I visited his firm, looking at all the drafting tables, and drawings all over the place. I got excited. Since then, when people asked me what I wanted to be, I proudly said an architect.

Ar Hidayah Architect, Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR)

At what age did you get your Part III? Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III? I sat for my Part III in year 2013, I was 32 at that time.

Alhamdulillah I passed the exam.

Being a civil servant, there is nothing different if you got a Part III or not because the scope of job is still the same. But I must be ready to answer all sort of questions regarding all regulations from the authorities when people know I got Part III in a particular meeting.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination. How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

In JKR I do not see any discrimination between the seniors and juniors. We tend to work as a team and deliver the project accordingly. But being in JKR you must know all the punca kuasa and hierarchy system in order to do your work.

You have to go through a lot of process just to get the approval to your design.

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Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

“The biggest challenge is to work together with various disciplines civil, structure, mechanical and electrical etc. To make them understand your design and also all the regulations from the authorities that you have to abide and follow.”

I believe that all graduate architect must have the ability to understand the brief and design. The biggest challenge is to work together with various disciplines civil, structure, mechanical and electrical etc. To make them understand your design and also all the regulations from the authorities that you have to abide and follow.

Describe your design style and philosophy as a young architect.

When designing, I like to sit down with the client and discuss with them longer to make sure all the money that government has allocated is not misappropriated in term of over designing.

In JKR, we are also trained to design for maintenance-free wherever possible. So I do not think I have so called style and philosophy. What is more important is the function of the building. But I like Geoffrey Bawa and Renzo Piano style during my study.

Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession, how do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

I always remind my colleagues when working in a project, we all have the same mission to deliver the project. So we must work together and help each other to achieve our expected goals and mission. Do not be too overly worried by yourself, just share your problems with the team. And sometimes after office hours, I go for a walk or jog with my friends.

Do you have any advice to the young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III? Get ready to the real world when you step inside the workplace. Always engage with your seniors, ringan mulut to ask them questions, read all the books or act in order to understand more about our industry.

Success tips for Part III, get a very good team or group to study together.

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Ar Khairil Halim Principal, K. Halim Architect

“Personally, the biggest challenge is setting up my own practice. It required a lot of money and financial support.”

Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect? What encourages you to pursue architecture?

My journey in architecture is very standard but it slightly differs from the current architecture programme, I obtained my Part I and Part II in a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture programme in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). It was a continuous degree programme that enabled me to get my Part 2 without doing Master of Architecture. Initially upon graduating, I did not think of becoming an architect. All I had in mind was to work and earn money and at the same time, enjoy life. But then I pursued my first practice in Johor Bahru as a resident architect, to monitor the site progress. After a year of working as a RA, I applied for a job in Singapore for about one and a half year. By that time, I had an encounter with one my lecturers and he asked me what made me want to work in Singapore and if I would want to continue taking Part III. He encouraged me to get my Part III and the same time, I was offered to do a direct Doctorate programme to pursue my PhD. My topic revolved around Part III and that was when I engaged with many registered architects and I got lucky to have a mentor that helped me en route to becoming a registered architect.

What encouraged me to pursue architecture is a Korean drama called Winter Sonata. I watched it about 5 times, and I love the whole architecture part of the drama. It piqued my curiosity, thinking it would be very interesting to become an architect one day.

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At what age did you get your Part III? Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III?

Describe your design style and philosophy as a young architect. Do you have any architect that you look up to?

I was about 28 years old when I got my Part III. At that time, I was the youngest in JB. Actually my first task was to do a renovation works on my fiancée’s (now wife) house. Apart from that, I did some small practice projects. I started my own firm slowly and for about a year, I worked on my own. To set up your own practice, I consider it as Part IV, which is the business part of being a registered architect. To do this, you need a lot of networking.

For myself, I have yet to find any specific style. I am not a philosophical architect. This is because what I am focusing more right now is to secure the job and payment first and to make all my clients happy. In my case, I could not sell any design with a strong concept yet. I would say my design style at the moment is constructability. In the future, the design style that I lean towards to is minimalist, contemporary and industrial.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination. How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

Yes, I did face age discrimination even in JB. Long story short, some people did not believe in Rizq, and that your sustenance and provision in this world has already been decided. Even when I did my oral examination, one of the examiners asked me “why are you so young?”. I took that in both sides of the coin, the negative part of it was maybe the interviewer had a merely vile intention to provoke me, but the good part was he wanted to test me and see if I was fit to become a registered architect when faced with difficult situations.

Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

Personally, the biggest challenge is setting up my own practice. It required a lot of money and financial support. Networking was also an issue for me in the early days because I had little experience to secure a project. The networking I am referring to is the relationship with the stakeholders, contractors, engineers, quantity surveyors and etc.

Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession. How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Actually, I started implementing healthy work-life balance even during my study years. I rarely pulled an all nighter because I do not like it. I make it routine to sleep at 10pm every night and wake up at 8am every day. If a particular job requires me to stay up excessively, I will not take it.

Even in circumstance whereby I have to take it, I will hire more staffs or sub it to another person. I will normally go home at 5.30pm and take some time for myself. By 8pm, I will be at home spending quality time with my family. I will only stay up for urgent works that are beyond control but normally, I will stick to my routine to maintain that healthy work-life balance.

Do you have any advice for the young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III? Plan your time well, because you have the power to control your own time. And as soon as you graduate your Master in Architecture (Part II), I would highly suggest to register as Graduate Architect the soonest possible because your timeline to obtaining Part III will only start when you register as a GA. It is also important to set your aims and goals early because you are still young.

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Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect? What encourage you to pursue architecture?

I am from Penang, I travel a lot. The Australian Embassy building was what inspired me to pursue Architecture.

That building was spectacular and the architecture is just beautiful. Overall, my architecture journey was a difficult one. My first attempt was in 2013 and I failed after submitting logbook because I was short by two weeks. I gave up and decided not to pursue my Part III but in 2016, I had the confidence to try again and to fulfil my mother’s wish to pursue Part III. Sometimes the drive is not yourself, sometimes it is external factors or something else.

Ar Azlan Syarawi Principal, Syarawi Architect

At what age did you get your Part III? Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III? I finally passed and got my Part III in 2018 at the age of 32. I screamed my lungs out in the office when I knew I passed. Then I continued working as usual and two months after that, I set my own firm, Syarawi Architect and the first few things I did to develop and create my firm was I bought domain and set up an Instagram account. My first project was a container hotel.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination. How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

Senior architects may see young architects as competitors in the market as the young architects tend and insisted to follow the fees structure. Some people say you will only get the real feeling of being an architect at the age of 40-50. I personally do not really feel discriminated because I think what is more important is to drive the design culture in Malaysia, regardless of age.

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Describe your design style and philosophy as a young architect. Do you have any architect that you look up to?

I have no specific design style but I am leaning towards contemporary vernacular, which may sound oxymoron. I love old houses and design style that is clean and uncluttered. I mainly follow the clients’ needs. If they want classical house, I will design according to my own interpretation of classical, and I will try to include a bit of art deco, renaissance etc.

Client comes first, then practicality and design comes into frame.

Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

Honestly, I think there is not much challenge as a young architect. But it is important to respect the people and get their respect.

Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession, how do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

There is no such healthy work-life balance, it is not 50-50.

There are some days where you spend more time with your family but there are some days where you have tons of submissions and due dates to get things done. It is hard for me to say that it will forever be balanced. So for my own firm, everyone goes home at 6pm no stay back policy at the office, if they do not manage to finish their work, they can continue tomorrow. No one is going to die for being late, if they do not finish their work by 6pm, they can submit to me the updates and I will look into it tomorrow. The problem with our culture is that we normalise “Nevermind just submit now and you can comment later on” which becomes a loop and will drag the work until 2-3 am in the morning. So we need to stop this culture. In that way, you can check back on what you reserved for your own life, that is where the healthy part comes in.

Do you have any advice for the young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III? Find your niche, find the things that you like to do most, it does not matter what. Some people they thrive by being a project manager, some thrive by doing design and you will find that out in university. If you notice your time management is good but your design is always bad, then chances are you can be an architect’s project manager. So it is very important to find the niche, because in our field it is quite flat, everyone is doing the same thing, so in the new age you need to figure out something you can do but others will not or can not do, so that is the niche.

Read more. Towards from the interview section of Part III until the papers, I think there were few months I struggled and brought my notes everywhere. In terms of tips, you need to familiarise with what they asked in the past years because Part III questions are pretty much the same but they changed the scenario and context. So if you can answer questions from 5-10 years ago, chances are you can answer this year’s question. Secondly, you must always keep up-to-date with the new ruling and check the seculars. The tips is to check out past years question as that will really help you.

“Find your niche, find the thing that you like to do most, it doesn’t matter what, some people they thrive by being a project manager, some thrive by doing design and you will find that out in university.”

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Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect?

I am Ar. Nurnajdah Fatihah Mohd Najib, currently working in Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR) for almost 9 years. Started in February 2013 at a design team in Cawangan Arkitek, JKR Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, mostly working on health facility projects with Ministry of Health and Ministry of Higher Education as our client. The team and I designed clinics (in-house designs) and help manage in hospitals design done consultants mostly in east coast region.

Ar Nurnajdah Fatihah Architect, Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR)

In 2020 I was transferred to Building Information Modelling (BIM) Unit, Cawangan Perancangan Aset Bersepadu, JKR until now. The task that I am given is not directly related to design, but it is more towards tools and management of projects. We facilitate in projects that use BIM methodology, to adhere to JKR BIM guidelines and standards. I have used BIM software since I was at university, as it is a very useful software in producing architectural images and drawings.

Prior to JKR, I worked for Eleena Jamil Architect for almost a year.

As for my education background; I studied at University of Auckland, New Zealand doing Bachelor of Architectural Studies for three years (Part I), then Masters (Prof) of Architecture for two years for my Part II. Prior to that, I did UNSW Foundation at Kolej Damansara Utama, before that I went to Sek Men Agama Persekutuan Kajang since form 1 for high school.

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Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

Every task that you get is a challenge, it will be different every time, nothing is mundane about architecture. I do remember this one task, I really wanted to do something that I thought at that time was the best solution to the task at hand. I had a hard time convincing my seniors about it. So, I guess the biggest challenge is convincing others who has more experience with the new ideas.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination.

How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

If bad perspective in terms of getting a title at a young age, I do not have any that relates to me directly. I heard of others that have a bad experience, there are only a few that are uncomfortable with it. People can say that you are young, so the title you have does not really help you in this field (in the government sector), but I do not mind them.

In fact, there are more seniors that encourage us juniors to take up Part III, so it is very helpful. Plus, my superiors are very supportive, some gave their energy to teach us, some respect the time off that we take to focus on studying, so all is good.

“ Every task that you get is a challenge, it ’ll be different every time, nothing is mundane about architecture.”

Expectation to be an architect My expectation from the company was not much, as I wished we had a professional allowance, but that is far from being a reality.

I did not have high expectations, but I really hope that the knowledge that I had been studying for the exam stays with me, and I would be able to stay updated with the latest rules and regulations. Other than that, I expect myself to make an informed decision, based on facts and good judgement.

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What encourages you to be an architect?

My peers gave the biggest encouragement, at first, I did not have the intention to take Part III early in my career.

As I am working in the government sector you see, we work based on a hierarchy system. So even if I get the title, I still can not make any decision without supervision from my superiors. Even so, taking Part III, was more of gaining knowledge on related acts, and procedures.

My colleagues who already had their professional titles encouraged me to take Part III as soon as possible, as it will be easier to absorb knowledge without unrelated preconceptions. As there might be procedures or methodologies that are diverted from correct practice that may seem to be the norm. But with knowledge, I could verify actions or decision made. Yeah, so getting the correct information was also one of my aim. While getting the knowledge, why not take the exam and be acknowledge as an architect? So that was why I took the professional exam.

Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III? After I obtained the professional title, not much has changed, I was doing the same task as before. As I was only J41 (J: Jurutera) which is equivalent to a junior architect in the government sector at JKR. But I definitely felt different after getting the title, different in terms of confidence level in designing and also helping manage projects, as my knowledge on acts related to the work I’m doing increased. So, getting Part III earlier on really helped. Sometimes my superior would ask me for verification, it felt good to have the confidence.

Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession.

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

My husband is also an architect, so he understands whenever I need to stay a little longer at the office for any due submissions. So he will take care of our daughter when it is his turn to stay late at the office, then I will take charge of the house. Those hectic weeks do not go on all year long, so we have managed and will manage. Other than submission or ‘due-date’ weeks, I have got my nights and weekends free to spend time with my family and friends.

Do you have any advice for the young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III? It is okay to make mistakes, but it is wrong to make mistakes and not learn from them. Of course, you can not make mistakes that already have black and white answers (like referencing acts, rules, and regulations), but the mistakes I am referring to here are unclear things, related to management and so on. As you mentioned, I am still young, so I have to learn from those who are more experienced, and it is okay to make mistakes sometimes as long as you learn from it and not to be repeated.

I have encouraged my colleagues to take Part III as soon as they can. I have taught a few Part III classes both in JKR and outside. Some will be scared they do not have the time to study, but if you put your heart into it, you will get there. Yes, there are lots of acts, rules, and regulations to study, with proper strategy and study buddies, it is not that tough, it is more about time management. Currently, in JKR more and more young architects are taking up the exam, which is very positive for JKR directly and to the nation indirectly.

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Ar Freddie Lo Horng Rong Principal, HR Lo Architect

Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect?

I graduated from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2011 and then I worked at DNA Architects, an architecture firm in Kuching, I previously worked as an intern at the same company before pursuing my Part II. After three years, I moved to Johor Bahru and worked as a graduate architect at Akipraktis Architect for six years and obtained my Part III there in 2017. I just moved back to Kuching quite recently in 2020.

To be honest, I would not say that being an architect is my ambition. But I really liked to observe buildings when I was traveling during my younger years. I enjoyed going to places such as museums and at that time, I did not realise that things that piqued my interest were part of architecture. After STPM, I was not sure what course I should take but I was sure that I wanted to choose a course that was related to buildings and construction. I was contemplating between architecture and civil and structural engineering courses.

Eventually, I just went with the flow and got offered to study architecture in USM. At that time, my main intention was to go as far as I could from Sarawak, and Penang was the furthest option and I went with it.

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At what age did you get your Part III? Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III?

Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

I got my Part III at the age of 31 while I was working on mega projects in JB. I was heavily involved with Country Garden Danga Bay project, which is a part of Forest City. I worked on that project from piling until completion. I started my job in JB in 2014 and I took my Part III exam in 2016 and I eventually got it in 2017. After getting my Part III, I stayed in JB until 2020. So basically, there was not any specific first task, I simply continued what I was actively doing. But technically speaking, the Forest City project can be considered as my first task. That project boosted my confidence as a newly registered architect because I already knew what I was doing. Previously, when I was still a graduate architect, I was not sure if certain things could be done whenever I was inquired by the contractors. Now, I am very sure because I know the implications that come with every decision.

I think sometimes people do not trust you. For example, I am doing a government school project right now with JKR. During the first meeting, the project director thought that I was a junior architect. So he reminded me about various aspects of the project that I needed to take into consideration. After the meeting, I passed my name card to him and he treated me differently upon knowing the fact that I am an Ar. But it did not bother me because even though the people are initially not confident with you as a young architect, you will gain their trust after several conversations with them. For me, the advantages of being a young architect outweigh the disadvantages. It is an on-going learning process.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination.

How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

I personally did not face any problem with such discrimination.

The people around me expected me to obtain my Part III at a younger age. The superiors did not see me differently both in JB and Kuching. They never said things like “you are young, you don’t know anything”. The thing is, you just need to prove to them that you are capable. And it is not hard to prove because you just must exude confidence. No matter how young and old, you have to be confident in any situation. People will only doubt you in the early beginning, after you show your abilities, you will be fine.

Describe your design style and philosophy as a young architect. Do you have any architect that you look up to?

I do not have a specific design style but whenever I design something, I will come with justifications. What is more important is to understand your clients and configure their real needs. Back to basics, I admire Le Corbusier because I like his philosophy. His idea of minimalist design is what I also believe in. I also think that it is important to acknowledge that even the little things are worthy of a design. For instance, the position of light fixtures, the making of a countertop, everything you make requires architecture touch and design thinking.

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Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession.

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

“ My personal advice would be to get your Part 3 before you get married. Some of my friends were struggling with their families while taking their professional exam.”

After I started my own practice, there is not so much work-life balance because I need to start everything anew. Right now, I allocate more time to my work. Previously when I was still an employee, I could manage my time better and there was a clear cut-off time between work and personal life. As a young practice, it is still a bit hard because I need to entertain clients and contractors. In two to three years, I believe that I will get the work-life balance I desire. Even now, it is not too difficult for me to squeeze an hour or two to go to the gym or for a jog. I know after work, we can get very tired and stressed out but I realise that allocating a few hours to exercise helps to refresh my mind and then I will continue doing my work at night time.

Do you have any advice for the young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III? My personal advice would be to get your Part III before you get married. Some of my friends were struggling with their families while taking their professional exam. Even myself, I was single yet I needed to spend a lot of time over the six months of studying period. I did not take up any classes but I did attend an intensive course in Kuala Lumpur. As taking designated classes may be very expensive, my tips is to make friends with those who attended classes and get notes from them because it is doable to study on your own. Do not see Part III as a hard challenge. Many graduates might think that it is difficult but truly, it is not as overwhelming. You just need someone to guide you and tell you the scopes of the examination. To put it simply, there are only six big topics that you need to cover: Architect Act, Street, Drainage and Building Act (SDBA), Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA), Housing Development Act (HDA), National Land Code, and lastly PAM Contract. Whenever you feel Part III is overwhelming, try seeing the bigger picture. Your answers will be derived from these six topics I have mentioned.

My final words, take your Part III as soon as possible, do not see it as a scary thing. It will help your career and boost your confidence.

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Ar Kong Yean Wei Project Architect at DNA and MNSC Architects Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect?

I pursue architecture by accident because I thought it is all about drawing and sketching (which I personally like to sketch), and only found out sketching is only a small fraction of architecture after I went to architecture school at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

I am grateful to have a good mentor who always encouraged me to pursue my Part III, since the first day I joined the office. I worked for 5 years before I took the exam.

At what age did you get your Part III? Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III? At the age of 30. There is not much difference in terms of the task given before and after I obtained Part III. But after obtaining Part III, I become more confident in making decisions and giving instructions.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination. How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

I personally think that age does not matter, depends on how you carry yourself as an architect, respect is not given but earned. We have to know what is the right thing to do as an architect and not be easily influenced by other people (contractors, consultants, etc) because sometimes they will throw you in a hard situation and try to convince you to agree with them to make their job easier.

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Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

I used to get the quote “I eat salt more than you eat rice” from a senior contractor when I tried to discuss construction solution with them as they always have the mentality that young architects are only good in drawing on papers and know nothing about the actual construction.

Describe your design style and philosophy as a young architect. Do you have any architect that you look up to?

Personally, I am still figuring out my own design style and philosophy. I like local architects more compared to overseas’ as I think their designs and problem-solving methods are more relevant.

I admire works from Tetawowe Atelier, WHBC Architects, Seksan Design, etc

Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession.

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

As compared to west Malaysia, I think Kuching has a more balanced work-life schedule as our pace here is not as fast as them. My current office is a small office which we only do small to medium size projects, hence the workload is not that tedious.

A clear task allocation is very important too in order to work efficiently as a team in the office.

“ … I did a lot of past year papers, conducted weekly group studies. Discussing and debating the answers with my peers has helped me to pass my exam!”

Do you have any advice for the young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III? I do not dare to say it is a tip but I did a lot of past year papers, conducted weekly group studies. Discussing and debating the answers with my peers has helped me to pass my exam!

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02 International Architects

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Atira Ariffin Architect, UNStudio

Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect?

My interest in architecture started since I was very young. My father was trained as an urban planner and runs his own urban design consultancy, development and construction firm so I was already exposed to the field since I was a child.

Naturally I developed a deep interest in this exciting field and decided to become an architect when I was 10 years old. I went through my school years with this in mind and of course I was head over heels when I got accepted into my dream school, the Architectural Association School of Architecture.

My student days in London was not all rainbow and sunshine. The AA was a very competitive school and I had to work really hard to stay on top of my game. It was very demanding and stressful but those were also the best years of my life. I made many wonderful friends from all over the world and they are amongst my closest friends until today.

After completing both my bachelor and masters at the AA in 2016, I moved to Amsterdam after receiving a job offer as a junior architectural designer at UNStudio. It was my first real job in the architecture field. My prior experience was only a 3-month summer internship at Foster + Partner London in between my 4th and 5th year.

I was not really in a rush to chase for my Part III because for the first few years of working at UNStudio I really wanted to focus on developing my skills and to learn as much as possible. It was only in early 2020 when I felt somewhat ready and started to seriously prepare myself for the exam. I was travelling back and forth between Amsterdam and London to attend my weekly Saturday classes for Part III at the AA. When Covid-19 pandemic hit and everything shifted to online classes. In retrospective, it was kind of a blessing in disguise because travelling every weekend was very exhausting and was taking a toll on my wellbeing. So I continued to attend the classes online for a few months, studying online on the weekends with my study group as well as on my own. I took advantage of the pandemic when I was stuck at home most of the time to focus on my Part III. I finally took the exam in November 2020 and passed! From then on I was officially registered as an architect both in the UK and the Netherlands.

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At what age did you get your Part III? Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III? I was 30 when I got my Part III. Actually I was already a lead designer for a project I was working on in Seoul since late 2019 so my task did not change drastically even after I passed the exam.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination.

How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

To be perfectly honest, I have never encountered age discrimination throughout my career. Everyone is treated with equal importance here and we are always encouraged to voice our opinions and are given plenty of opportunity to prove our worth even if you are just an intern. Perhaps it is the culture here in Europe that age does not really matter, and we are also encouraged to ask questions and learn from one another regardless of seniority. There is no hierarchy here and we even call each other by our first name, even to the directors.

Everyone at the office address the founder of UNStudio, Ben van Berkel as just ‘Ben’.

Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

The biggest challenge as a young architect is of course our lack of experience, and that there are so much for us to learn. So it is very important for us to keep on learning and discovering ways to improve our skill sets to be better at our jobs. But also to remind ourselves that it is okay to cut ourselves some slack if we can’t resolve something. It is okay to ask for help and to learn from those with more experience.

Describe your design style and philosophy as a young architect. Do you have any architect that you look up to?

I do not think that I have a specific design style or philosophy that I restrict myself to. I am still exploring and developing my skills as I go from one project to another. So the design approach changes based on the project briefs and what the client wants. Personally I feel that as a young architect we should take advantage of our youth to be flexible and explore different approaches and techniques rather than being stuck to single method or design language. You should test different waters before you settle into the one that you like or comfortable with. I suppose that is how you progress and grow. I often look up to powerful and inspiring females figures in architecture such as Zaha Hadid, Lina bo Bardi, Kazuyo Sejima, Amanda Levete and Neri Oxman.

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Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession.

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Well, living in Amsterdam forced me to cycle everywhere to that helps to incorporate some daily exercises into my routine. I cycle for about 9 km per day, 4.5km each way to and from the office. Besides that I always make sure that I eat well and get enough sleep. I think stress management is very important to so I try to do activities that relaxes me like reading, watching Netflix, practicing piano, or hanging out my friends/loved ones to take my mind off work. It is okay to disconnect from work and take a break from time to time.

Do you have any advice for the young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III?

I “ t is very important for us to keep on learning and discovering ways to improve our skill sets to be better at our jobs.”

Find a good mentor, work for firms that makes you feel passionate and excited about architecture. It doesn’t need to be a big or famous firm. I think having a very good mentor whom you work with every day is very crucial at the early years of your career post-graduation because these mentors will help to shape you and transfer his/her knowledge to you.

Therefore finding a good and conducive work environment is very important for you to grow. As for Part III I would say don’t rush it. Learn and prepare for it at your own pace because everyone learns differently and experience different kind of projects types/timelines at work. It is more important to focus on what you can learn from the projects rather than trying to chase for Part III just for the sake of having it ASAP. Naturally the more you can learn from the projects that you work on the better you will be prepared for your Part III. The knowledge will be already embedded in you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions from your seniors, ask them to explain and share their valuable insights with you. Once you are ready to sit for the exam, find a good and supportive study partners.

Ideally stick with 3-4 people per group because it will be easier to arrange for study times etc. Do lots of past year papers together and exchange your answers with your study partners. This way you can learn from each other. Good luck!

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Jeffri Angkasa, ST, IAI. Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect?

“Curiousity is the whole thing. If you stay curious, you will never stay stuck.”

I was born in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatera, in 1987. I earned my bachelor degree from the department of Architecture in Tarumanegara University in 2009. Before I establish my own company, I worked at Hans Brouwer Design Singapore Architect from 2009 until 2014. I built my studio with my partner, Indri Sisilia. We started everything from our respective home until the project and number of employees increased. My interest in architecture started since young age as I love to draw and sketch even many people that time was underestimate on my passion, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” they said, but I strongly believe this quote “love what you do and do what you love”.

When I graduated from UNTAR Jakarta, I decided to continue my dream to work and study abroad. I always wanted to study abroad back then but due to economic constraints I decided to stay in the country and look for scholarships to pursue my studies. After graduated, I want to get out of my comfort zone, challenged myself to go to the Lion Country (Singapore) even on that time I only have small amount of money from my parents' loan. When I arrived in Singapore, I ran out of money as it is only enough for living expenses and it forced me to find a job as soon as possible because I don’t want to get kicked out from this country. I submitted my CV & portfolio to several companies even I know that I have less exposure rather than other people. In Singapore, I learned a lot about life, design and its exploration. In this life not everything is beautiful, everything needs a process and the process of life is like a ladder. To reach a goal, we need to strive like climbing a ladder step by step to the highest peak. Dream, confidence, intention and action are the keys to success. My partner and I chose to start a studio in a small town in Indonesia, because I always thought that if everyone wanted to start their career from a big city, who would like to build the small cities? that's where I inspired to build my country when many people doubt us to be successful in small opportunities 54

At what age did you get your Part III? Do you still remember your first task after you obtained your Part III?

Describe your design style and philosophy as a young architect. Do you have any architect that you look up to?

The journey to become registered architect in Indonesia is a little bit different. Indonesian architects have attempted to develop an organization similar to the licensing institution in other country.

This organisation is called Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia (IAI).

However, IAI only manages the licensing requirement and still falls short from being a licensing institution. Thus, after graduated from bachelor degree in 2009, I focused on enriching my working experience as I only 22 years old at that time. I work in Hans Brouwer Design in Singapore for 5 years and fulfilled my requirements to get my architect license from IAI at 28 yo.

Right after I came back to Indonesia, I built my own architect studio with my partner and I still remember that time we only have few projects and worked from our respective homes. Born as the eldest child, I was raised by my parents to be independent and responsible for anything. Thus, those valuable lessons enabled me to survive in the early years of starting my business even im at the young age.

The main reason I want to be an architect because I was inspired by the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, namely Ir Soekarno. Then also since I was little I have liked to draw. Even though I don't have a family background that works in the arts department, I never feel 'insecure' to realize this dream. My design style is always wanted to be different than others, I never like straight lines, I love both slanted or curved.

Being a young architect may come with age discrimination.

How did the superiors treat you as a young architect?

To be sincere, I did not face any problem with such age discrimination but I was humiliated because I only came from a small village with an underprivileged family background.

However, I never give up. The key to my success is hard work and the courage to be different from others. I want to be an architect who is really an artist Based on your personal experience, what is the biggest challenge as a young architect?

As a young architect, the biggest challenge is when people underestimate my ability to built such a wild design. Somehow it is also our chance to prove them wrong. So I always said to myself “keep going” and you will become what you believe. The most important part of being architect is when dealing with clients and how we as architects are able to communicate with them. In some moment, we can also educate our client through our ideation.

Working as an architect is a time-consuming profession.

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Working as an architect requires you to use your brain most of the time to find ideas and concepts, design is not only about beauty and aesthetic but it also problem solving, coordination with team such as contractors and builders. The working environment is dense and the level of stress is high. But I personally never consider stress and pressure and I try to always turn negative things to be positive, try to find other hobby to realise the stress and as much as possible we need to have a balance between work and family. Time management is really important for us especially for those who work outstation.

Do you have any advice for the young and aspiring architects? Any personal success tips and tricks to get Part III? We can see that 90% of architecture students, only 10% become architects. This shows that you must really have a passion in what you do. If you want to be a real architect, you have to go through the process. Explore and expose yourself to seek knowledge, to form your mindset and work ethic. Do not hesitate to share your knowledge and experience in architecture. Don't complain and just enjoy every process because with dream, confidence, intention and action you can achieve anything that you want.

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03

Discussions & Future Design Scenarios

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Discussion on the significance of young architects in the architecture design scene

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What role do young architects play in changing today’s design scenario?

In the 20th century, the architecture world was obsessed with the term “star-chitects” and the obsession was directed towards grandeur and blockbuster buildings inspired by larger-than-life characters. Starchitect is a portmanteau used to describe architects whose celebrity and critical acclaim have transformed them into idols of the architecture world and may even have given them some degree of fame among the public. Celebrity status is often associated with avant-gardist novelty. Iconic buildings in the 20th century are reflected by the needs of the contextual society whereby it was a period of modernist architectural movement due to the industrial revolution which resulted in simple, factory-made materials.

“Each new situation requires a new architecture “

However, as the economy pace slows down over time, the architectural scene seems to be diverted to a more modest vision of cross-disciplinary and collaborative. More architects collaborate with designers be it graphic designers or landscape architects to create spaces that has greater sense of place, and not just a building that is merely to be admired from far or in the pages of popular magazines.

“For us, sustainability is a lot about the social issue and project, because it needs to be connected to people’s dreams and visions in the local situation.”

- Andreas G. Gjertsen

In line with globalization in the 21st century, there is a new set of challenges due to the emergence of consumerist and capitalist civilisation that the young architects are trying to come to grips with. So what exactly are the roles of the young architects in the recent era?

The young architects are currently finding the balance between various juxtaposed dualities such as naturistic-urbanistic, global-local and public-private and it is proven to be a very challenging task in this fast-paced world. The whole ideation is to strive to improve the quality of life and space rather than creating iconic buildings.

- Jean Nouvel

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03 The Future of Architecture: 7 Challenges and Trends 1. Environmentally Conscious Architecture 2. Recycling and Reusing 3. Renovation over Demolition 4. Utilisation of Local Materials 5. Inclusive Architecture 6. Quality over Quantity 7. Renewed Focus on Public Space

Environmentally Conscious Architecture Our history has seen a great many achievements that propel humans to the top, but we have also seen more than a fair share of environmental calamities, climate harshness that very much have afflicted how we conduct our day-to-day lives. We live in a world that is incredibly fraught with challenges and increasingly limited resources. With built environment raking up as one of the top sectors to have produced the largest amount of carbon emission, young architects desperately need countermeasures which will play a much important role than just designing a decent building.

The most alarming issue that the world is experiencing is ecological decline due to urbanization and rapid industrial development. This creates an urgent need for young architects to delve into sustainable built environment in a broader context of the future of Mother Earth. It is important to create resilient cities by the mean of future-proof buildings that will give back to the community.

Climate change is getting evident day by day and as builders of the current and future world, architects are finding ways to tackle one of the most pressing and interesting challenges of the modern era. To reduce energy consumption, young architects must increase their awareness of sustainable building techniques to reduce the carbon footprint of the buildings.

By implementing sustainable design practices, it will protect the environment by reducing the negative effects of construction on the environment including its existing ecosystems and biodiversity. Young architects need to figure out a holistic and cutting-edge approach to environmental considerations throughout the design and construction process.

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The Future of Architecture: 7 Challenges and Trends

Recycling and Reusing

Renovation over Demolition

To decrease the environmental impact of construction, the principles of circular economy has gained traction and are being implemented extensively in architecture and design.

The principles involve promoting and designing products that last and has the attributes to be reused, repaired and remanufactured. The circular economy transition generates new challenges for architects, and it requires specific strategies, knowledge and novel approaches. Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2013) highlights that in a circular economy, the economic growth is growth is decoupled from resource consumption and the notion of waste is eliminated by maintaining products, components, and materials at their highest utilities and values.

In the recent years, there is a growing trend of building rehabilitation which incorporates the principles of recycling by giving new life to old or unused buildings and transforming them into avant-garde structures. Demolition may seem like the easiest route, but most of the building materials may end up necessarily in landfills. In order to benefit the environment, it is wiser to salvage materials for the purpose of reusing and recycling.

The implementation of circular economy has augmented the role of architects to develop a high-level material knowledge, proficiency in service design, and a complex understanding on social behavior (De los Rios et al., 2017). Kozminska (2019) stated that within the process, interdisciplinary collaboration with expects is needed and consideration of materials lifecycle should be encompassed to define methods of maintenance, disassembly, and the reuse of building materials in the future.

“The circular economy operates on “a model based on cradle-to-cradle design which takes advantage of and reusing everything that is considered waste, and being efficient with resources in all phases of construction.”

Renovation also correlates with the act of refurbishment, Young and Egbu (1993) defines refurbishment as renovation rehabilitation, extension, improvement, modernisation, fitting out and repair which is undertaken of an existing building. In other words, it is the alteration of an existing design to elevate the facilities, rearrange the internal layout and the structural life span without changing the original function.

This method may come with heaps of challenges, but it is a movement that needs to be practices and further normalised especially when it comes to heritage restoration.

Utilisation of Local Materials Undoubtedly, the trend of using local materials is becoming massively prominent the recent years. More and more architects and designers are applying building techniques based on local traditions and resources. It is seemingly impossible to propose a design that does not take into consideration the logistics and origin of the materials and the ecological future of any particular site over a long period of time.

- Gonzalo Pardo, architect and associate professor, Technical University of Madrid 60

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The Future of Architecture: 7 Challenges and Trends

Using local materials has the obvious benefit of reducing the significant environmental impacts of transporting materials long distances. In the eyes of many, it has some less tangible benefits as well, such as encouraging vernacular building styles, supporting the local economy, and connecting users directly with the impacts of their choices. It is important to use local materials to create a sense of belonging and emotional attachment between the spaces and the society.

Inclusive Architecture Inclusive architecture is a strategy used to create any space that can be seamlessly utilised by every user group without any sense of discrimination. This is proven to be quite a tough task for young architects to tackle especially in the modern era, where architecture has an increased social function. The term inclusive architecture transcends more than just universal accessibility and the elimination of architectural boundaries, it requires sentiments to design friendly environments that can cater all different needs and limitations a human being may experience.

“To fully support humanity from cradle to grave, architects myst design with inclusivity and diversity in mind.

All-inclusive design architecture provides every member of the community with the services they need to reach important milestones and thrive.”

Quality over Quantity Traditionally, luxury has been associated to the materiality of architecture. Nowadays, the concept is shifting towards more meaningful variables and aspects that contributes to atmospheric, spatial, flexible and perfectible qualities. The young architects needs to put emphasis on the quality of the design space rather than the size of it. Functionality and comfort are not mutually exclusive to the square footage, but due to the lifestyle of younger generations, what matters more is the versatility and experiences as it leads to greater opportunities to create flexible open spaces that has the ability to adapt to different life situations.

Renewed Focus on Public Space In the 20th century, the cities were developed centering on the use of personal car. In the 21st century on the other hand, there is a movement on the recovery of public spaces.

Young designers and architects are invited to rethink the development of cities based on the current cultural, social and technological changes, apart from the advancement of transportation and infrastructure.

The architectural challenge lies in creating a well thought-out urban spaces with enhanced urban quality and these spaces must reflect and in par with the society’s values, cultures, and development. The city of the future is inextricable from the cities of the past. Architecture acts as a ‘storyteller’ in this transition.

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04

Senior VS Junior Architects

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The point of view of senior architects towards the young architects

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Ar Kushahrin Sadikin Kushairy Director, RKD Architects Sdn Bhd

Kushahrin attained his academic achievements at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) with Diploma in Architecture and graduated from University of Manchester with B.A (Hons) Architecture and a B.Arch from Manchester Metropolitan University. He is a member of PAM and LAM as well as the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He has over 20 years of experience in the architecture and planning industry both in Malaysia and internationally. He is a strong professional with a demonstrated history in Urban Planning, Mixed-use, Comprehensive Planning, and Sustainable Design.

Noteworthy achievements: First Prize Graduates exhibition in 2003 and Honourable Mention UTM Masterplan Architecture Students Design Competition in 1993. Kushahrin is the owner of Kushahrin S Architecture (KSA).

He is also a part of the Industrial Panel for UNIMAS School of Architecture since 2018.

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Due to modernisation and globalisation, there is a shift in the needs of the contemporary society. In changing today’s design scenario, what are the challenges that young architects need to tackle?

In my opinion, the biggest challenge is the mindset. From my observation, compared to when I was your age, I feel that my generation really struggled because the technology was not as advanced. Everything had to be done manually. However, the work demand during the old days was not as fast-paced because we had to do manual drafting and even airbrushed drawings. AutoCAD was invented much later and considered as a relatively new invention hence not so many people were used to it at that time. The industry acceptance was also not as demanding, and the timeline was not as fast-paced as what it is today. Now, the clients expect you to produce works in an incredibly rapid manner. So that is the challenge of the younger generation of architects. But I notice that some of the millennials possess this entitled mentality. To survive in this industry, you really need to get rid of such negative mentality and put more hard work into it because this industry is not a walk in the park. It is strenuous, because we are the industry leaders and we are obliged to instruct the engineers, quantity surveyors and contractors on what should be done. It requires high responsibility. You can be an excellent designer, but that is not enough. It needs to be holistic. To survive, you must be a jack of all trades.

In terms of modernisation and globalisation, the young architects need to learn to adapt, accept the new normal and abnormal, and do not be resistant. For instance, we have been utilising AutoCAD for years, and currently the government is implementing Industrialised Building System (IBS) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) but some architects are still resistant about the change. You need to go with the flow. In terms of the evolution of technology, the young architects have no choice but to take a look at it so that your design does not remain stagnant. If you browse through RIBA Journal magazines, 60% of the contents is about new technology of the architecture and construction industry. Compared to the Malaysian context, it is not being highlighted as much but I am hopeful that the Malaysian architecture will eventually reach the same level soon. Remember to embrace the change so that you will not get left behind.

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Do you think age discrimination occurs between senior and junior architects? Does hierarchy system exist in the architecture world?

I do not believe that there is age discrimination. Silliness discrimination, yes. I will give you a situation, if a senior architect says that he has been around for 20 years, and then a new architect comes in and he is from an ivy league university and he claims that he knows everything, truth is he does not.

When it comes to the real architecture world, it is an entirely different context. There are so many things that you do not know so if you encounter a senior architect that has 20 years of experience, a young architect needs to gain as much knowledge as possible from your superior. I would like to stand my ground again that I do not believe that age discrimination occurs based on my personal experience. It is just a matter of whether you are smart or stupid. If you are stupid, then most probably you will get discriminated. To clarify, stupidity that I am referring to is the level of ignorance. An architect who is not street-smart, cocky and egoistic will definitely get discriminated in the industry. The experience will never be replaced with paper qualification.

But when we talk about discrimination, I believe gender discrimination does take place in some cases. If you are a young female architect, then it will be more of a challenging situation and it is actually happening in the field. All in all, as long as the younger architects know their place, they will be okay.

Have you ever felt insecure or jealous of the young architects?

It goes back to what I have previously mentioned, it is related to your ego. If you are an egoistic senior architect, then yes. But if you are not, then there will be absolutely no issues. Only the people who are self-conceited will feel threatened by the young architects. To me, due to my seniority, I do not think that necessarily means that I am better than the younger people. In fact, I also learn a lot from them. Sometimes the younger people have an edge in producing fresh ideas, but it needs shaping from the superiors to make them better. The young architects may need further guidance to develop their ideas into reality, and this is when the more experienced seniors step in and offer a helping hand. At the end of the day, it comes down to the ego of both sides, senior and young architects. Avoid being cocky, we need to be down-to-earth all the time then only you will become a good architect.

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Do you think the younger generation of architects are well-versed and very competent in tackling challenges in the industry? Do they have all it takes to survive and compete with senior architects?

It depends on the educational history. The quality of the graduates may vary from different types of universities, so what they bring to the industry may differ too. To me, the more the merrier. I believe in sharing. The more we give, the more we get. The seniors will start to doubt the abilities of the younger generation of architects only if jealousy comes into picture. If the graduates receive good quality of education, by all means I do not have any problems and doubts regarding their competency. Whether the young architects are capable or not, it is a bit too general and it depends heavily on the individuals as well. Even if a graduate comes from a university that has a low reputation, the person can be an outstanding architect due to his or her own perseverance and efforts. It is not one shoe fits all kind of situation thus it is unfair to generalise the competency of the young architects.

But basically, if that person possesses inquisitive traits and is willing to work hard for the betterment of his future, he or she has all it takes to compete with the senior architects.

“Do not be cocky, and just do it!”

What are your hopes and expectations towards the young architects out there?

In terms of the overall architectural scene, I hope that things will get more up-to-date and progressive. I also wish for the authorities to be more open because a lot of things that hinders development in Malaysia are the authority and politicians. I believe that these are the people who hinder the advancement of technology and design in our country. By integrating more fresh faces within the authorities, we can start improving our industry and be more adventurous. Realistically speaking, Malaysian architecture can not be on par with Europe but we can get significantly better than what it is today. My hope is that the voices of these young people in the industry are heard by the political figures who hold the power, so that things can change in a more rapid manner. I would also like to highlight that political stability plays a vital role in the industry so hopefully things will get better soon.

The younger generation of architects need to come out with heaps of fresh ideas and are not afraid to sell them to the people who hold the higher power. Do not lose hope and always strive for the betterment of the industry. My words of wisdom is do not be cocky and just do it!

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05

Young Architect Guide

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How to excel in Part 3 Exam Tip from the top, for young architects

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05 How to Excel in Part 3 Exams

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The LAM part 3 exam was conducted on the 1st August 2015. Based on the data which we received from LAM, there were 526 candidates who sat for the exam. It was probably the biggest number of candidates for the LAM Part 3 exam in recent years.

According to LAM’s data, for the last 10 years (from 2005 to 2014) the passing rates for the LAM Part III exam were between 6.5% to 45%. The average number of candidates who sat for the professional exam for the same period is 220 persons, and the average number of candidates who passed the exam is 44 persons, which is about 20% passing rate.

LAM Part 3 Professional Exam

The low passing rates does not augur well for the profession. We need more professional architects to be serving the population. With more professional architects there will be more healthy competition among the architects which will encourage innovations, pushing the boundaries of architecture for the benefit of the public at large and for the development of the profession itself.

A question may arise as to whether the graduates would be able to learn the knowledge and to gain the experience in the various aspects of architecture practice within those 2 years to enable them to pass the Part III exam and to become professional architects. Based on records, in the past a lot of graduate architects have passed the Part III exam after their 2 years working experience. Judging by that, it can be deduced that the 2 years working experience should be sufficient. However, it is also safe to assume that not all architecture graduates are fortunate enough to be involved in projects which allow the graduates to cover all the necessary areas in architecture practice to help the graduates to prepare themselves to sit for and pass the Part III exam.

Some graduates who are attached with bigger firms may find themselves compartmentalized into doing design, or detail drawings only without any involvement in the contract implementation and management phase of the projects. This will definitely put the graduates at a disadvantage, as a lot of the experience and knowledge required for the graduates to become professional architects can be learned during the above mentioned stage of the project. For those fortunate graduates who are involved in projects from the schematic design phase until the final completion stage, they will have the full range of experience with the building bye-laws, various Acts and other regulations related to the industry and the profession during design stage until the issuance of the CCC 70

Even that sometimes the graduates may not be involved in certain types of buildings which deprive them the knowledge in critical areas such as fire-fighting requirements, in which many of the Part III candidates find the questions on firefighting requirements to be very challenging. The other area where the graduates may not be able to learn from the office is regarding scale of minimum fees and employment contract with the client. Some offices do not share with their staff “classified or sensitive” information such as the letter of appointment, fees chargeable and invoicing the Clients and information of similar nature. Granted that the graduates are expected to be proactive to discuss with the principal of the office or the professional architect who is signing the graduate’s log book, on the areas of practice that the graduates want to be involved for them to be better prepared for the Part III exam. We have to play a better role to provide proper guidance and tutelage on the myriad aspects of architectural practice issues to graduate architects working under us. There need to be a better framework than just the log book formats to guide us on the areas of experience that we need to equip the graduates with, to help them better perform their duties as architects, and to prepare them to become professional architects. Apart from all that, the graduate architects are also expected to take the initiative to compensate their working experience with self-learning of the subjects relevant to architecture practice. Much of this is can be done through reading of books especially on the PAM Contract, the various Acts which govern the profession and the industry, and also LAM circulars to members. Study groups whether formal or informal such as the Be:Ar study group has become a platform for graduate architects to exchange knowledge among themselves, guided by professional architects as preparation for the Part III exam.

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Ar. Mohd Zulhemlee An President 2015-2016

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Plan Your Strategy

1. Start with the Exam : What do I need to know to do well 2. Plan your Revision : What questions am I going to answer 3. Make Notes : Revision Aids 4. Practice Recall : Check what you know

Exam Survival Guide

5. Practise Questions : Exam Simulation

Plan Your Practice 1. Have your preference practice checklist 2. Get sample exam questions 3. Practice your starting procedures 4. Practice analysing questions (5 mins) 5. Practice generating ideas (5 mins) 6. Practice developing a structure (5 mins) 7. Practice writing Introduction (5 mins) 8. Practice past exam questions (timed and un timed) 9. Mark your own answers as critically as possible 72

05 Tip From the Top, For Young Architects

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Ar Adrianta Aziz Can you tell us about yourself and your journey as a registered architect? What encourage you to pursue architecture?

My name is Ar. Adrianta Aziz, you can call me An. I obtained my Part I in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) for 4 years, Diploma in Architecture, 1993 in Manjung, Perak and then continued another 3 years in ITM Shah Alam to finish my Part I in Architecture. Then I was so lucky to get the opportunity to fly to Oxford Brookes University, UK to continue my Part II in 1997-1999. I found out when I studied there, it was interesting that their teaching methods are totally different from UiTM, which in UiTM, it was not just about design but also its technicality and practicality. In Oxford, I experienced culture shock as the lecturers emphasised model making as starting point on deriving a design concept, and all they wanted was the idea and concept explanation which requires a more philosophical way of design. Then I was so lucky I finished my urban design, sandwich courses together with Architecture Postgraduate, so I finished both of my achievements in 1999. Then I obtained my 1 year working experience in Elephant & Castle London, at Boddington Architecture and went back to Malaysia in 2001 due to family matters. During my 1 year working experience in London, I observed a lot, not only about architecture but dealing and meeting various types of people which taught me on how to deal with people.

I found out architecture is not about design, building construction, contractual legal or what but it is about dealing with people.

In my 7th semester of Part I 1996, I did an internship in an architect firm in Penang called Arkitek Reka Bina Sdn Bhd. They had four branches at that time, in Penang, KL, Seremban and Johor. So when I got back in 2001, Reka Bina called me again without any interview. Then in 2003, I was transferred to PJ, slowly growing to become an Assistant Architect, then Project Architect, and Designer Architect.

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During my working experience in PJ, I was given the task by the trust of my boss, Ar. Nazlan to manage the branch, so that was another opportunity for me to observe on how to become a professional architect even though I only had Part II qualification, it taught and gave me the chance on how to secure a job, dealing with clients, fees calculation and etc. It was interesting, but to be honest my salary was not that big as compared with the draftsmen. I was not looking at the salary given but I was looking for the experiences which are more expensive and meaningful. In 2007, I told my boss it was time for me to continue my Part III which was also driven by the encouragement from people around me. I had a mentor during my journey after SPM, his name is Senu. As my passion was art, late Senu gave me a lot of advice and encouraged me to pursue architecture, because he said that architecture is the mother of art. After 8 years of graduating from Part II, I eventually realised I should continue Part III, and in 2008 I explored Part III syllabus and I felt it was so hard. I was so lucky that one of my seniors, Ar Hisham Ali, was doing a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) free classes for Part III, every Saturday morning until noon. I made a strategy in continuing my Part III, whereby I decided to have a study group with my guy friends, 5 from the government sector and 5 from the private sector to share different sentiments and perspectives in the group and it was named as COPC, Club of Professional Conduct. Part III is about 3 sentiments , IQ (intelligent quotient), EQ (emotional quotient) and SQ (spiritual quotient). I took Part III within 3 years because it consisted of 4 hurdles, first was to pass a logbook (minimum 2 years of experience), second was an oral exam, lastly was a written exam which consisted of 2 papers (paper 1 is theoretical and paper 2 is about practicality).

I “ found out architecture is not about design, building construction, contractual legal or what but it is about dealing with people. ” I set a goal that once I pass my Part III, I want to continue the journey of teaching Part III syllabus to the next generation. It has been 10 years, and there were more than 400 candidates who have passed the exam and majority passed in their first try. Then I decided to open up another class and asked my friend Ar. Rida to collaborate in teaching the classes with me, and the class was named LAP (Learning Architecture Practice).

The class was imposed with a fee and it is only conducted two days a month, Saturday and Sunday.

The youngest candidate that passed Part III with us was 28 years old and the oldest was 62 years old. Moral of the story is that age is not the matter here, it is about determination, passion and the direction that you want to go. I got my Part III at the age of 29 years old and opened up a firm at the age of 30.

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Did you receive any negative perception when you first entered the industry at a quite young age?

Negative perception is normal, not only in architecture but it happens in every field of work. But the beautiful part is that when you set your mind and soul with these 3 important sentiments of IQ, EQ and SQ, you do not care about negativity and failure as they happen almost every day. You need to train yourself with the emotional quotient during the Part III journey. You need to believe in yourself and your passion because this is not only about professionalism but architecture is about ‘passionalism’. You can go abroad with architecture, not only being an architect, but you can also be a heritage expert, conservator, journalist, BIM consultant, event manager or even a fashion designer etc. It is not that you end up being an architect only but as an architecture community.

I “ t is very important for us to keep on learning and discovering ways to improve our skill sets to be better at our jobs.”

How did you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

I am not working for money but for freedom. When you set your mind that you are working for freedom, you can do anything you want and you control the time. I am not looking for wealth but success. When you go for success, everything will come in a healthy way. I look forward to be a successful, happy and healthy architect. The point is I love what I do, that is why I can manage my time.

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How do you stay enthusiastic and motivated along the journey?

It is all about the 3 quotients. I faced failure almost every day, for example, getting rejected by the authorities with their comments. I always set my mind to stay positive but standby anytime to recover from negativity. Apart from prayers, you need to have an idol who can motivate you so that you can rise the next day with a new episode. That is why I always believe the past has always been inspired but for the future you need to build something. It is not about how many times you fall, but it is about how you get up, rise and move forward. It is about sincerity, if you are being sincere to yourself then you can be sincere to people and your work. I have been inspired, I love what I do and I have to be sincere to myself, making sure that I am healthy to do my work and get the satisfaction. My favourite quote is “always get inspired by the past and build for the future”.

“Here are two things to define yourself. It is about your passion when you have nothing but once you have everything, it ’s about your attitude.”

Advice to young and aspiring architects.

My advice, there are two things to define yourself. It is about your passion when you have nothing but once you have everything, it is about your attitude. I am very concerned about your generation because the fast digitalisation may affect your intelligence, emotional and spiritual wellness. Get the right attitude in your future career.

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New Ideas Kai-Uwe Bergmann Partner at BIG Architects In the famous words of HC Andersen "To Travel is To Live" I think one of the greatest tools that we as architects learn is to draw and this is universally the same from one country to the next so by traveling we see the cities and the buildings designed by our ancestors and by traveling and working in other cultures and countries we expand our perspectives . . . this makes you a much better architect for life.”

Luca Nicoletti Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects “Be curious, question your ideas, but when the time comes don't be afraid to make decisions.

Innovation Iyad Alsaka Partner at Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) “Innovations take place at the Intersections” An architect mindset is by default a platform for MultiPotential-Ite, a Polymath. Architects should develop expertise spanning a significant number of different subject areas, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve complex conditions. It is precisely this moment when disciplines overlap and exchange when innovation and new ideas emerge.

Hard-Work Mohammed Kamal Al Shurafa Partner at Mimar Group “Young architects and fresh graduates should find a reputable place to start their professional career, their aim in their first years of their career is to continue their learning curve, learning at University is just a beginning and it only opens the doors to start the professional career where they will learn the real architecture and profession. They should not look at how much I’m paid rather than how much I’m learning and what I’m learning. The better knowledge the fresh architect gets in first years, the better architect he would be and accordingly secure a better position, responsibilities, and income. ‘KEEP THE BEST FOR LAST’.

Architecture “ is the same stuff life is made off only a little more concentrated…

Conventionalized…”

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Focus Ken Yeang Executive director at T. R. Hamzah & Yeang Sdn. Bhd. “I believe the secret of success is ‘focus’. Focus means you cannot do too many things in life. Once you decide on what you want to focus, then do it to the best of your ability - but not just to the best of your ability, but better than anyone anywhere in the world”.

Passion Rasem Badran Founder at Badran Design Studio “Architecture is s microcity of connections and relationships among people as well as with the outer environment. It’s about spaces and how people live in those spaces in respect to time, seasons, traditions, development and context. Young architects don’t need rules to follow but rather learn architecture from feeling what is around them in those microcities and spaces.

Learn Richard Fenne Principal at Woods Bagot

“The best way to predict the future is to create it ”

“Every challenge that you’ll face in the architectural profession – whether good or bad – is an opportunity to learn. The beauty of our profession is that it constantly evolves and being open-minded to change keeps you relevant and broadens your knowledge base. Remember, clients might be paying by the hour but what you’re selling is the value of many years of learning and knowledge.”

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06

Conclusion

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The youth is the future of the architecture world, they possess the ideas, enthusiasm, and energy that are needed to drive the scene to greater heights. Due to the emergence of consumerist and capitalist civilisation, the young architects are tackling new sets of challenges that are in line with the needs of the contemporary society. The architecture world is presented with modernist architectural movement in the 20th century but the history has proven that in line with the problems of the ever-changing world, designers has to evolve their ways to cater the current problems. Being relatively young in the field, it may come with hardships and hurdles that are kept hidden under the covers.

Every young architects has their own unique and vibrant stories in their quest of being a licensed architect, and with the stories that are being unfold, may it ignite a fire among inspiring young architects to pursue to same goal towards success. The routes undertaken will differ for each individual, but the destination remains the same.

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References PUBLICATIONS Alhayali, Raghda. (2020). Tip from the top, for young architects.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations, (2015). Handbook on Liberalisation of Professional Services through Mutual Recognition in Asean: Architecture Services.

De los Rios, I.C., Charnley, F.J.S., Sundin, E., Lindahl, M., Ijomah, W., 2017. Skills and capabilities for a sustainable and circular economy: The changing role of design. Journal of Cleaner Production 160, 109–122. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.10.130.

Foundation, E. M. (2013). Towards the Circular Economy: Economic and Business Rationale for an Accelerated Transition. UK: Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

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Koźmińska, Urszula. (2019). Circular design: reused materials and the future reuse of building elements in architecture. Process, challenges and case studies. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 225.

012033. 10.1088/1755-1315/225/1/012033.

Malaysia, L. A. (2019). Annual Report January 2019 December 2019. Kuala Lumpur: Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia.

INTERNET Board, A. R. (2021). Registration with UK qualifications.

Retrieved from https://arb.org.uk/: https://arb.org.uk/architect-information/applying-for-registratio n-for-the-first-time/registering-with-uk-qualifications/ Malaysia, L. A. (2015, July). Berita Akitek July 2015.

Retrieved from http://www.pam.org.my/: http://www.pam.org.my/images/publications/ba2015/jul2015/ Berita-akitek-jul-2015

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EDITORIAL TEAM

Dayang Nur Shakirah Nur Afiqah Syahirah Nya’ Cahya Keumala Wan Fatin Aimie

COPYRIGHT 2022 All right reserved. No part of this book, either text or image, may be used or reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.

PUBLISHER Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81300, UTM Johor Bahru, Malaysia

ISBN-X-XXXXXXX-X-X

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FIRST EDITION 2022