Kuala Lumpur, 4 – 8 October 2023 – The Programme of Architecture at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) supervised a team of architecture students led by Ts. Azari bin Mat Yasir and Dr. Aiman Mohd Rashid. The Programme of Architecture at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) supervised a group of architecture students led by Ts. Azari bin Mat Yasir and Dr. Aiman Mohd Rashid. The team recently participated in the Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) Annual Exhibition of Architectural Works 2023 and won the Silver Award.

PAASWE is an annual program that aims to bring architecture closer to the public and increase awareness of the profession by showcasing students’ work and talents in a public venue. This year’s exhibition, themed “Dancing Tower,” featured the works of 20 universities and institutions. PAM describes the theme as follows: “The word ‘dancing’ in the theme refers to the method of presenting the architecture students’ works through cascading layering and dynamic forms. The word ‘Tower’ represents the students’ higher aim to reach the sky, depicted in every project they have completed and will be exhibited in the exhibition booths.”

The Programme of Architecture at the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FABU), UTM, had selected ten 2nd and 3rd year architecture students to participate in this exhibition. The team members consist of Muhammad Syafiq bin Norizan, Alif Mauliddin bin Reza Syahrial, Muhammad Aiman bin Ya’akop, Muhammad Syahmi bin Che Zuhar, Amir Zaim Azryne bin Adzim, Fajrul Amin bin Mansuri, Dinie Mariyah bt Chahari, Muhammad Azhannuddin bin Ahmad, Faizzis Farhan bin Kamaruzzaman, and Nik Aidid Baihaqi bin Nik Ali Noordin. The exhibition was conceived as a sculpture installation designed, constructed, and built by the students.

UTM’s “Dancing Tower” exhibition showcases the exquisite amalgamation of architecture and dance. The exhibit draws inspiration from dancers’ graceful poses and postures to create a sculpture that symbolizes the seamless harmony between the two art forms. The sculpture, aptly named “Rhythmic Ascent: The Dance of Architecture”, is a dynamic and visually captivating masterpiece that perfectly blends the disciplines of architecture and dance. The theme of the dancing tower inspired the concept, and it is a testament to the creativity and innovation of UTM’s architecture students.

The students utilize the provided materials and add their own to create sculptures that showcase the interplay of form and function in design. These sculptures are then printed on a structural form and labelled with QR codes that link to the students’ complete works in the Cloud. What makes UTM’s exhibition unique is the use of augmented reality (AR) technology. Visitors can scan the AR markers in the form of QR codes to activate AR on their mobile devices, which allows them to explore a virtual representation of the student works and the physical sculpture in the real world.

The students’ exhibition was awarded the Silver Award due to the vital support of FABU, The Programme of Architecture, PAM and the student architects’ association, Architech.

This article was written by Dinie Mariyah and edited by Aiman Mohd Rashid.