Sarawak’s first architecture competition
KUCHING: The winners in Langit, a nationwide architecture competition to find the next best high-rise building for this city, are set to be known tomorrow (Aug 7).
The winners will be announced at 10am during a ceremony live-streamed on social media.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg is expected to officiate at the opening of the event.
Langit is Sarawak’s first architecture competition, organised by Hock Seng Lee (HSL), in collaboration with Next Phase (NP), which is the landowner, and the Malaysian Institute of Architects, Sarawak Chapter (PAMSC).
“It is our great honour that the chief minister is attending the ceremony. We have received 112 registrations for the competition. The number of architects interested in designing a skyscraper in Sarawak surprised and motivated us,” said competition jury member Yu Ji, who is the developer representative from HSL-NP.
Cash prizes for the event competition total RM200,000 and HSL-NP fully intends to build one of the winning entries.
The winning design will be built at a 0.78-acre site, opposite the Inland Revenue Tax Academy, in Jalan Tabuan.
The site is within the Kuching’s central business district areas, a stone-throw away from Reservoir Park, the city hall and some of Sarawak’s best performing schools.
The Langit competition began in March and entries came from across Malaysia. Some were joint designs with architects practising overseas.
The panel comprised renowned architects from Kuching and Kuala Lumpur, including Malaysian Institute of Architects president Datuk Ezumi Harzani, PAMSC immediate past chairman Ivy Jong, Veritas Architects director Lilian Tay, multi-PAM award winner and conservationist Mike Boon, and Yu.
Judging criteria include public spaces, environmental design aspects and building feasibility.
In HSL-NP’s design brief, the floor area was capped at 30,000-square-metres; ensuring design entries would be buildable and not unrealistically large for a city of under a million people.
“The scoring and deliberation process was anonymous from start to finish,” explained competition convenor Chai Si Yong, who is PAMSC’s current chairman.
“It is important to the developer-client that the identities of those who submitted were never revealed. The judging is solely ideas based and merit driven. As the convenor, we did not even indicate how many were by architects inside or outside Sarawak. The unveiling of the result is going to be quite an excitement for professionals across Malaysia.”
Jong, a Sarawakian architect notable for her eco designs, said the competition was a refreshing development model.
“For the first time, architects are given a site by an established and reputed developer with an open brief and an emphasis for community engagement. By starting a dialogue with the wider community on what can be built on the selected site, the developer has demonstrated their desire to be publicly driven in their buildings, which is welcoming,” Jong said.
The results ceremony will be at HSL Tower of La Promenade, the developer’s flagship 200-acre gated community.
Architects and members of the public can catch the ceremony live on @hslcn and @unitkomunikasiawamsarawak.
For more info, visit langitkch.com, hsl.com.my or search #LangitKch and @hslcn on social media.
