At the recent Asia Young Designers of the Year Awards 2018/19 held in conjunction with the 11th edition of AYDA International Summit, two young Malaysians were recognised for their outstanding talents, winning the award for 'Best Design Impact' for both the Interior Design and Architecture categories.

Based on the theme of FORWARD: Challenging Design Boundaries, the winning entries for 'Best Design Impact' category were selected based on the following criteria: planning and functionality, as well as design innovation. "Planning and functionality" took into consideration aspects such as an appropriate layout and design plan, as well as its overall impact on the community. On the other hand, "design innovation" was selected based on ideas that are original and innovative.

Loo Yi (Architecture Category), aged 26 from University of Malaya and Zachary Khaw Lit Siang (Interior Design Category), aged 25 from Taylor's University, beat participants from 14 other geographical locations in Asia and took home a cash prize of USD1,000, respectively. Loo Yi's and Zachary's' respective projects, "Mangrove Charcoal Living Museum" and "The Weave", showcased elements of forward-thinking design and also challenged boundaries from various design-related perspectives.

Both projects received high praise from industry captains and experts alike, Ms. Nursuliana Sulaiman, mentor of Zachary commented, "Zachary Khaw's 'The Weave' project is a proposal that blends both design aesthetic and social entrepreneurship. As a young designer, his design shows an intimate understanding of what his users; the emerging fashion designers; current needs are and also provides incubator spaces to inspire them to pioneer their own futures."

Speaking on Loo Yi's "Mangrove Charcoal Living Design Museum", as Loo Yi's Mentor, Ar Wooi further shared, "Loo Yi demonstrates a high level of understanding and sensitivity to the social and cultural needs of a community. He has offered a thoughtful solution to the issues of sustainability presented by a site situated in a mangrove forest. It is an exemplary concept that is well developed and resolved in its architectural tectonics and detail."

The winners of the Asia Young Designers of the Year Awards 2018/19 were conferred to Tanay Bothara (India) and Dang Huu Trong (Vietnam) from the Architecture and Interior Design Category respectively, both of whom will now stand a chance to receive placement in a 6-week all-expense-paid Design Discovery programme at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in the USA. This follows the establishment of the Gennosuke Obata Fellowship at Harvard, a partnership between the esteemed institute of higher learning and Nippon Paint.

The Summit also conferred a series of awards such as Best Sustainable Design which went to Ruangwit Veerapong (Thailand) from the Architecture Category and Jenjira Thiebpetch (Thailand) from the Interior Design Category; Nippon Paint Colour Award which went to Shiori Harada (Japan) from the Architecture Category and Dang Huu Trong (Vietnam) from the Interior Design Category; and Honorary Mention Award that went to Prince Lu (Philippines).

To learn more about the Asia Young Designer Awards, log on to www.asiayoungdesignerawards.com.