Limkokwing University was this year’s host of the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers' (MIID) 17th interior design student competition. It was the second time the University hosted the event, having hosted the 7th edition in 2002. The competition, which took place at the University plaza, was organized by MIID and sponsored by Nippon Paint with Carpet Ideas as a co-sponsor.
Limkokwing University was this year’s host of the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers’ (MIID) 17th interior design student competition. It was the second time the University hosted the event, having hosted the 7th edition in 2002. The competition was organized by MIID and sponsored by Nippon Paint with Carpet Ideas as a co-sponsor.
The competition, known as ‘Interior Design Students Saturday’, was initiated by the Malaysian Society of Interior Designers (MSID) with the first event in 1991, and adopted by MIID in 2001. It was specially created for students studying interior design, to promote networking among the students, and give them an opportunity to mingle, exchange ideas, and enjoy a friendly competition in a fun filled day. This year’s event marked the 17th competition to be held, and was filled with much gusto and excitement.
The event, which was attended by President of MIID, Ronnie Choong, was launched at the Hall of Fame before proceeding to the plaza for the competitions. The attending universities were Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), SEGi University College, Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College, Malaysian Institute of Arts (MIA), University College Sedaya International (UCSI), The One Academy, Sunway University, Erican College, ALFA University, Kolej Bandar Utama, Saito University of Arts, and the hosting Limkokwing University.
After the event opening at the Hall of Fame, a Carpet Ideas representative gave a talk on sustainability and environmentally friendly design, urging students to use recycled materials to create their designs.
The participating universities had students from all over the world presenting their novel ideas and creations in the various competitions. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Limkokwing Vice President, Dato’ Fajura said the diverse student body allowed for a dynamic way of thinking in students.
“Apart from knowledge and technology transfer, the global integration will bring colour to the interior design field as well as the built environment,” she said.
The theme of the competition, ‘Re-invent’ challenged students to go against the norm of ‘thinking outside the box’, but rather to ‘think-inside-the-box’, to reinvent their way of thinking and use basic foundation ideas as an anchor to design.
The students rose to the challenge, coming up with cutting edge designs utilizing everyday material such as newspapers to re-design furniture and other products in a new and creative way.
“It is a good opportunity to express our creativity in a new way, to use everyday material that one wouldn’t think of otherwise,” said Ahmed Mubeen from Maldives, an interior design student in SEGi University, who made a chair using PVC pipes.
The competitions included fun games that engaged and challenged the students mentally and intellectually. Some of the categories included the ‘Amazing Race’ which mimicked the popular TV show, photography, design, lighting, sketching, fashion design and performances.
“I am excited to see this much creativity and to participate in the competition. It gives us a chance to mingle with students from other colleges and share ideas,” said Akeel Mohammed Abas from Iraq, a Limkokwing Interior Architecture student about the competition. His product was a coffee table made from bamboo tree stalks, inspired by a honeycomb.
Limkokwing University students took the lead in the Design Works (Institutional) category, taking both first and second positions, followed by a win in the Sketching category and the Nippon Paint competition, and they continued to shine in first place of the Fashion category and second place in the Installation category.
At this year’s event, MIID introduced a trophy that will be kept by the hosting university each year, which was handed to Dato’ Fajura, and will be kept in Limkokwing University until the next event. The attending universities were also presented with certificates of participation from Limkokwing University.