(left-right) Gee Sze Yong, 19, Ting Ying San, 21 and Lim Chuun Kiat, 19 from UCSI’s Diploma in Architectural Studies And Interior Architecture programme with their winning chair design.

The prize winning eco-friendly chair made from discarded materials. Built without a single nail, the sturdy chair can also be easily disassembled for convenience.

(left-right) Gee Sze Yong, Ting Ying San and Lim Chuun Kiat holding the certificate and RM300 cash prize.

(left to right) Lim Chuun Kiat and Gee Sze Yong receiving their first prize certificate.

KUALA LUMPUR: A detachable and eco-friendly chair captured the attention of the judges at the recent Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers (MIID) furniture design competition. The entry was submitted by UCSI University’s (UCSI) Diploma in Architecture students and was awarded the first prize at the prestigious competition. 

Themed ‘Fantastic Futuristic, the MIID 8 Belas competition featured notable works from architecture and design students of 20 public and private universities. 

UCSI was represented by Gee Sze Yong, 19, Ting Ying San, 21 and Lim Chuun Kiat, 19 who are pursuing the Diploma in Architecture Studies and Interior Architecture programme. 

Their innovative chair design was themed “Flexible Relaxation” and utilised old planks and discarded fabrics to ensure it was eco-friendly. As students, mobility was a major concern and they designed the chair to be easily dismantled and reassembled. According to Lim, the challenge was making the chair sturdy without using a single nail or screw. 

“Our first design was an S-shaped mould with screws but it was unstable. However, after much trial and error, we overcame the flaws, making it easy to detach and reattach,” he said. He added that the rigorous lectures and tutorials he attended at UCSI were very useful. 

The design edged out submissions by other universities including Taylor’s University, Sunway University and KBU International College. 

When asked how they felt about winning the award, the students flashed a grin and said, “Surprised”. 

Ting and Gee added that it gave them a sense of contentment knowing that their efforts have been recognised by others. 

“The key behind the achievement is wise teachings from our lecturers,” said Lim. 

“They deserve to win. Four weeks of hard work really paid off,” said the two team advisers and lecturers Ms Rosidah Abdul Ghani and Mr Zulkifli Husin. 

Winning the competitions speaks volumes of the quality of UCSI’s architecture programmes as the competition organiser MIID is the national institute representing the interior design profession in Malaysia.