CENTRAL JAVA, Nov 27 – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) participated in the 6th International Workshop on Asian Heritage (IWAH), hosted by Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia, from 23 to 27 November 2025. Thirteen Landscape Architecture students from the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FABU) represented UTM under the supervision and coordination of senior lecturers Dr. Mohd Ruzaini Che Zahari and Dr. Lee Yoke Lai from the Landscape Architecture Department, FABU. Three other Asian universities, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT) and Mahasarakham University (MSU) from Thailand, and Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (HUCE) from Vietnam, also joined this workshop with the aim to foster a collaborative network among students and lecturers through heritage conservation.
The theme of this workshop was “Weaving the Future: Asian Heritage, Creativity, and Cultural Sustainability” focusing to revitalize four heritage districts of Surakarta City; Cluster Heritage District Kauman, Cluster Heritage District Laweyan, Cluster Heritage District Chinatown, and Cluster Heritage District Gatot Subroto-Ngarsopuro. This workshop was conducted comprehensively through two medium, first is Online Session – 25 October, 8 November, and 15 November – for participants to gain knowledge about the sites, the cultural mapping techniques, swot analysis, place attachment, case studies of heritage revitalization, and conservation challenges in Southeast Asia through series of lectures, and second, is through the workshop Physical Session – 24 to 27 November.
UTM delegates departed to Surakarta City on 23 November 2025 through Yogjakarta International Airport (Kulon Progo) and was greeted by IWAH Director, Dr. Mongkol Khan and host, Dr. Eng. Kusumaningdyah. From the airport, they took a bus prepared by UNS to Surakarta City which took around 2.5 hours. The bus journey was filled with excitement for the students to meet their new friends from other universities.
Day 01: Opening Ceremony + Surakarta City Excursion
The opening ceremony of 6th IWAH took place at Indraprasta Room, UNS Inn with a welcome speech from Prof. Dr. Fitria Rahmawati (UNS Vice Rector of Academic Affair and Research), followed by the gift handover by UNS to all participating universities. After a short break, the ceremony continued with the 4 special lectures by Dr. Mongkol Khan (RMUTT), Dr. Lee Yoke Lai (UTM), Dr. Dao Hai Nam (HUCE) and Dr. Kusumaningdyah (UNS). These lectures emphasized on the comparative case studies from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia perspectives to ensure the understanding of participants before they embarked on their workshop. The ceremony concluded with lunch and a prayer break before all participants gathered for an activity of Surakarta City Site Excursion. Two buses were prepared and all participants were brought to visit Loji Gandrung (Mayor’s official residence), and Balai Kota Surakarta (Cityhall) besides exploring the city.
Day 02: Site Visit to Surakarta Heritage Districts + Group Work
This workshop divided all participants into eight groups combining all universities in each group to encourage cross-cultural collaboration with the guidance from the mentors. Each of the group was given a heritage district site for inventory and analysis, and design proposal towards the conservation of the district. On day 2, every group went for the site visit in their respective district to engage with local community along with site inventory and observation. All groups went back to UNS and resumed their group works at Studio 3, Faculty of Engineering, UNS. Then, all groups presented their work progress with critiques from IWAH lecturers.
Day 03: Technical Visit to Museum Rumah Atsiri & Pura Mangkunegaran + Group Work
Participants continued the workshop through two technical visits to Museum Rumah Atsiri and Royal Palace of Pura Mangkunegaran. Through a visit to Rumah Atsiri, they deepened their understanding of the principle form follows function through a briefing by the representative, who explained how a former factory was successfully transformed into a vibrant museum attraction through an adaptive re-use approach.
Later, they were brought to Pura Mangkunegaran, which is the official royal palace and residence of the Mangkunegaran royal in Surakarta. After the visits, all participants were back to the studio to resume their works focusing on a design proposal for the revitalization of heritage district supervised by the group’s mentors.
All IWAH lecturers were invited for a casual dinner with the faculty dean, Prof. Dr. Ir. Wahyudi Sutopo, at UNS Tower for a meet and greet and to discuss further collaboration between UNS and all IWAH universities (UTM, RMUTT, MSU, and HUCE).
Day 04: Final Presentation + Closing Ceremony + Farewell Party
On day 4, all groups were required to submit their final design works to the organizer for exhibition and final presentation. Then, the final presentation commenced after lunch in the Main Seminar Room in the faculty. All groups presented their ideas to adopt and impose the best solutions for the site issues through their design proposal consisted of a schematic plan design supported by sketches, perspectives, and sections drawings. The suggested design solution follows the theme of the workshop: Asian Heritage, Creativity, and Cultural Sustainability. The design proposal by each of the groups is expected to support the heritage preservation of Solo (Surakarta) as the UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Arts. Each group’s work was evaluated and assessed by panel of professional juries consisting of IWAH lecturers (UTM, RMUTT, MSU, and HUCE), together with the representative from Ikatan Ahli Rancang Kota Indonesia Association (IArKi), Ikatan Peneliti Lingkungan Binaan Indonesia (IPLBI), and International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). As a result of the final presentation, Group 2 won the best overall group work and presentation.
The 6th IWAH closing ceremony commenced after the buffet dinner, featuring a closing speech by Dr. Fauzan Ali Ikhsan, Head of the Architecture Study Department at UNS. The programme continued with a ceremonial exchange of gifts among all participating IWAH universities, followed by a lively farewell party in which each university presented a cultural performance. The UTM delegation showcased a Malay traditional dance recital titled Pusaka Irama Baharu (featuring Silat Bunga Tanjung and Cak Cak Cekuk). The evening concluded with the announcement of the 7th IWAH, during which UTM was officially selected as the next host.
The 6th IWAH fosters a cross-cultural collaboration between Asian universities through a similar interest for heritage conservation. Different disciplinary students such as landscape architecture, architecture, urban planning, and tourism gathered together to share ideas and discuss various issues for heritage conservation for UNESCO creative city network.
Through this workshop, each partner university acknowledged to continue the main agenda of IWAH, which is to maintain the collaboration, and to promote future generation towards the awareness to safeguard the Asian heritage values and identity. The workshop left participants inspired to carry forward the idea of conservation and partnership that sparked throughout the event to ensure the constant preservation of Asian heritage. UTM delegates would like to thank the UTM International and FABU for their support to ensure the participation of landscape architecture students in this 6th IWAH workshop.
