INDONESIA—From November 25 to 29, 2024, eleven final-year Landscape Architecture students, guided by Dr. Siti Nur Hannah Ismail, participated in an academic trip to Indonesia as part of the Professional Mobility Program. The workshop, hosted by Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), was themed “Sundanese Heritage Landscape: Cultural Wisdom for Sustainable Futures.” The goal was to connect cultural heritage with sustainable landscape design practices.
The collaboration included a design workshop in which students focused on addressing real-world site issues. They explored how bamboo, a versatile and sustainable material, could mitigate environmental challenges at the site. Through hands-on activities, they learned about bamboo’s critical role in soil conservation, erosion control, and eco-friendly construction techniques. By integrating this knowledge into their design solutions, the students proposed innovative strategies to tackle specific environmental challenges.
The workshop also provided students with an immersive experience of the rich cultural and natural landscapes of West Java, Indonesia. They explored Sundanese traditions and the ecological advantages of bamboo. As part of the program, students actively participated in designing landscapes and critically assessing planting designs in the area. Special attention was given to incorporating bamboo into their solutions, leveraging its multifunctional environmental and ecological benefits. With its rapid growth, carbon sequestration capabilities, and versatility, bamboo was emphasized as an effective solution for addressing environmental challenges such as soil erosion, water conservation, and the impacts of climate change.
Students learned to blend traditional knowledge with modern landscape design principles through these activities. The workshop not only improved their technical skills but also deepened their understanding of how culturally significant and sustainable materials, such as bamboo, can enhance ecological resilience while preserving cultural identity.
This collaborative initiative strengthened academic ties between Malaysia and Indonesia, especially through the partnership between Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). By promoting international cooperation, the program prepared students to tackle global challenges in landscape architecture while considering cultural insights and environmental sustainability.