JOHOR BAHRU, Dec 4 – The Malaysian Architecture, Theory, Culture and Heritage (MATCH) Research Group, together with the Design Process, Practice and Management (DPROM) Research Group from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FABU), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), successfully hosted an international academic engagement with the Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (SIST), Chennai, India.
The inbound mobility programme, supported by FABU and coordinated by Tpr. Ts. Dr. Gobi Krishna Sinniah from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, featured three key events: the Architech X SIST International Students Design Workshop organised by the Architech Students Society, the MATCH x DPROM Global Classroom (Discourse Series 07), and the UTM x SIST International Design Review.
As part of the International Students Design Workshop, the first session began with a guided introductory exercise led by the Architech Students Society, focusing on the fundamentals of the architectural design process. This was followed by the Global Classroom session, moderated by Dr. ’Adila Zakaria, which brought together undergraduate students and academics from both Malaysia and India.
The session featured two distinguished speakers, Prof. Dr. Devyani Gangopadhyay, Professor and Dean, Department of Architecture, SIST, who delivered a lecture entitled “Moving Towards Smart and Sustainable Cities: An Indian Experience”, and Dr. Fadhlina Ahmad @ Taufik, Head of the MATCH Research Group, UTM, who presented a lecture entitled “Passive Design Strategies.” Both lectures sparked lively discussion, with students actively engaging through questions and cross-cultural reflections on sustainability, design practices, and environmental responsiveness in tropical contexts.
The third session, the UTM x SIST International Design Review, was held at the Year 3 Studio, FABU. The review brought together invited panels from both institutions, providing students with valuable international exposure and critique.
The panel featured Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ts. Khairul Anwar Mohamed Khaidzir, IDr. Ts. Ar. Samsiah Abdullah, and Dr. Aiman Mohd Rashid from UTM, alongside Assoc. Prof. Ar. Surya Rajkumar and Prof. Dr. Devyani Gangopadhyay from SIST. Year 3 architecture students from both universities presented their studio projects and received constructive feedback from the local and international reviewers.
pr. Ts. Dr. Gobi Krishna expressed his appreciation for the successful collaboration, noting that the programme strengthened academic exchange and fostered deeper cultural understanding between the two universities. The collaboration marks another milestone in UTM’s ongoing efforts to enhance global connectivity and enrich architectural education through meaningful international partnerships.
