JIDA Designer Awards 2019 Finale – Gala Night Awards Ceremony | Interior Design Awards Malaysia

17th May 2019, Johor Bahru: The final day of the highly anticipated JIDA Design Awards 2019 took place today to celebrate the crowning of the best interior designers in Malaysia as guests, students and interior designers made their way to the Austin International Convention Centre.

The event was officially kicked off at 10 a.m. starting with the exhibition of the works of the fifteen JDA 2019 finalists and sponsors — with the awards ceremony itself happening later in the evening.

Forum Session: Speakers share insights into the interior design industry

At 11am the event shifts into the forum session and the event’s panel of distinguished speakers were invited to take the stage to share their experience and expertise in the industry as well as their thoughts of its future development and challenges.

The forum in session. Seated from front row, left to right: Chris Bosse, Dato' Tan Su Cheng and Horace Pan.

_____________________________

Read the 12 Life Lessons from Malaysia “Design King” - Dr. Eric Leong and learn about what it takes to be the Best Interior designer in Malaysia

_____________________________

The speakers are: Mr Horace Pan (Assistant Professor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Dato’ Tan Su Cheng (Managing Partner, PDI Design & Associates), Mr Yap Yew Peng (Founder of y.architects), Peter Tay (Celebrity interior Designer, Peter Tay Studio Singapore) and Chris Bosse (Co-Founder of Laboratory for Visionary Architecture, LAVA).

Standing in as host for the event is Dr Eric Leong, Chief Judge of JDA 2019 and honorary member of JIDA, who introduces the distinguished panel and who is also instrumental for their invitation to grace JDA 2019.

Horace Pan, Founder of Panorama (HK) and Assistant Professor of Hong Kong Polytechnic University

“Giving Meaning to Spaces, Redefining Urban Spaces.” - Horace Pan, founder of Panorama (HK) and Assistant Professor of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, begun his exploration into the world of interior design from a young age. Growing up surrounded by the dense, urban city of Hong Kong has helped him understand the inherent relationship between architecture, interior design and real living.

Dato' Tan Su Cheng, PDI Design & Associates

“Because the average property owner needs to be represented too.” – When it comes to property development, Dato' Tan Su Cheng is a pragmatist and realist. Recognizing the needs of local property owners with limited budgets, Dato' Tan Su Cheng and his company, PDI Design & Associates, specialize in property enhancement to rebuild and transform commercial buildings into profitable entities for clients.

Mr Yap Yew Peng, Founder of Y.Architects

"Less energy usage, less wastage and more recyclable elements [in design] is the mission that interior designers and architects should strive for." - Mr Yap Yew Peng, founder of Y.Architects, is a strong advocate of sustainable and eco-friendly design solutions.

One of his projects, the Batu-Batu Island Resort, was built entirely from locally sourced timber to cut down on transport costs. A vast area of the complex was also built to take advantage of the natural shade of the surrounding trees and vegetation to minimize reliance on powered air-conditioning. Mosquito netting keeps insects from entering through the wide windows that help cool air circulate within its rooms and buildings.

Peter Tay, Founder of Peter Tay Studio (Singapore)

For celebrity interior designer, Peter Tay, beautiful interior design is about the duality in the spaces; the blurring of the lines of where the interiors and environment begin. Interior spaces shouldn't just be places in which we live in but also an artform that speaks to our inner spirit and brings about calm. He also emphasizes the need for architects and interior designers should respect the natural environment and incorporate its elements.

Chris Bosse, Co-founder of Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA)

"New technologies shape how we live and we need to combine it with contemporary architecture." - Chris Bosse, Co-founder of Laboratory for Visionary Architecture, is a technologist visionary who sees the development and adoption of new technologies as key to designing the cities of the future - as is deriving new and better geometric designs for architecture from nature itself - which has had millennia to perfect its creations.   

Q/A Session: Interior Design Challenges

When asked about the challenges facing the industry as a whole and individual professionals, Peter Tay starts off the session by describing the commitment and dedication spent travelling and building mutual trust and business relationships.

Chris Bosse then relates his concern that, with the ease in which designers can gain access to tested and proven designs from the massive repositories of information on the internet, the industry could find itself simply imitating generic architecture, not wanting to be overwhelmed by the infinite possibilities that would otherwise have to be painstakingly explored.

For Dato' Tan Su Cheng, his challenges include trying to convince others to trust that his designs will work and be profitable. The iron-handed authority of governments can also become an obstacle. Also, nations with low purchasing power parity like Malaysia face challenges when securing, training and retaining skilled manpower, which is often lost to richer economies like the Middle East and China.

Horace Pan adds that another challenge facing interior designers is forcing oneself to come up with different designs and not falling into a single style. Self-improvement as well as the collective force are necessary to raise standards in the industry.

For Mr Yap Yew Peng, his challenge is convincing rich clients and developers that the most expensive option isn't always the best option. As for personal development, the ease of access in which designers today can improve themselves (i.e. self-study via the internet) has levelled the playing field immensely as it is possible to bypass the long path of experimentation necessary before - therefore, designers must focus on unique experiential designs to set themselves apart from the competition.      

Gala Night and Awards Ceremony

The evening saw the start of the awards ceremony where the awards for the Gold, Silver and Grand Award winners were officially given out. The JIDA Design Awards and Gala Night 2019 ceremony were concluded at 11pm.

JDA 2019 Final Results