Architectural students mull Kenyalang Park rejuvenation

KUCHING: Architectural students from four countries put their heads together to think of ways to rejuvenate the Kenyalang Park area here.

The students from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia were in town for the three-day the Live Design Discourse (LDD).

It was organised by Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) in collaboration with Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia Sarawak Chapter (PAMSC).

PAMSC chairperson Noraini Narodden said the workshop aimed to foster collaboration among students and share ideas in their design concepts.

“For this workshop, the site we designated is Kenyalang Park,” she said, adding the students were invited to see the area, understand the situation, and propose ideas to rejuvenate the area.”

Additionally, they were free to think of ways to make the area a better place to live, work, and play.

The programme saw the participants conduct a site analysis on Kenyalang Park, interviews with the local communities, group discussion on the outcome of the site visits and identify opportunities and constraints as well as to select the spaces or buildings to develop an architectural initiative.

This edition of LDD, the first in East Malaysia, featured architectural practitioners and students from the Association of Siamese Architects under Patronage (ASA), Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia (IAI) as well as PAM.

Noraini said similar workshops were previously organised in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Thailand, and Pangkalpinang, Indonesia.

“The outreach is still a small group, but I think in the future, we will try to benefit more architecture students,” she said.

Also present were Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng and PAM deputy president Adrianta Aziz.