UCSI University's Final Year Interior Architecture student, Simon Chong, receiving his award as one of the grand prize winners of the competition.

UCSI Universit's Final Year Interior Architecture student, Simon Chong with his design that won him the grand prize including a trip to Amsterdam.

Ms Rosidah Abdul Ghani receivinf the prize for the first runner-up under the Institution Category award on behalf of UCSI University.

Participants paying close attention during the briefing session before the start of the competition.

PROUD MOMENT: Simon Chong along with the other grand prize winners.

The Dulux Emerging Talent Awards (DETA) 2012 held on 8^th September 2012 saw UCSI University's Final Year Interior Architecture student, Simon Chong win the grand prize of an overseas study trip to London and Amsterdam alongside two other participants from different institutions. The three winners departed for the fully paid, week long study tour on the 21^st of September.

A programme organised by AkzoNobel Decorative Paints Malaysia [ICI Paints (M) Sdn. Bhd.], a multi-national Fortune 500 company (headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands) was an initiative to unearth the emerging Malaysian interior design talents and to bring them to the international level.

Outshining over 400 other students from a total of 17 colleges and universities, Simon managed to win the judge's approval with his eco-friendly design of a dining area.

"My idea stemmed from the notion that eco-friendly initiatives should be encouraged at every level, thus I designed a ‘green' cafeteria for factory workers," explained Simon.

The students were each given an empty cardboard box, some paint and two hours to come up with their creations on three topics, namely, "appreciating the past" (designing a commercial display space), "embracing the present" (for a dining space) and "answering the future (dedicated to an office space).

Simon's idea of a cafeteria for factory workers resembled a garden with trees on its roof with its roots running down to the dining area below. Allowing natural sunlight to seep through its ceiling, this also provided a natural shade and a unique display of lights within the dining area.

"This design also looks at how food waste can be recycled into fertiliser to further encourage the growth of trees and vegetation," he added.

DETA is an annual design competition now into its third year in Malaysia that not only provides an opportunity for overseas learning and international exposure but also provides a platform to nurture budding talents and support them as they grow into innovative, outstanding professionals in the interior design field, which coincides with the University's vision as a Praxis University in producing global talents according to industry standards.

"We are definitely proud of the students because it's an affirmation that the knowledge delivered to them has been applied appropriately, enhancing their abilities to think out-of-the-box," said Ms Rosidah Abdul Ghani, a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment which houses the School of Architecture and Built Environment.

Referring to the term ‘functional art', Simon also explained how Interior Design is more than just decorating as it involves predetermining the function of the space and the utilisation of the area at its optimum level.

UCSI University also obtained the prize for the first runner-up under the Institution Category to acknowledge that most of the finalists and the grand prize winner were from the institution despite having one of the least entries amongst other institutions.