Every year since the establishment of Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Student Chapter; a structural competition is held as one of the major events of the year.
In previous years, the main focal point of the competition was for the participants to use recyclable products as their core material. Innovation was our priority to keep the competition fresh and new every year. This year we have come up with the concept of reconstructing a building within the territory of UNITEN, to something that it would look like in the future. Hence, the “UNITEN in the Future” structural competition was born.
A variety of buildings from across campus were selected as inspiration for the competition. This list includes the administration buildings, colleges, mosque, stadium, fraternity houses, and many more. The competition was opened to 24 groups of four (maximum). The groups were to choose a building of their choice to reconstruct. Each building was exclusive to a single group. No participation fees were charged, and the participants were free to use any materials except for plastic. A booth was set up in order to attract participants. The booth was planned to run for two weeks, however, all of the participant slots were filled by the end of week one.
A total of 6 prizes were allocated, namely for the 1st prize, 2nd prize, 3rd prize as well as the “Most Creative”, “Best Workmanship” and “People’s Choice” categories.
Each group was supplied with a base board of dimension 60cm x 60cm. The participants were allocated two weeks for the design and production of their structure. Then the structures were submitted to the ICE judging committee. All four booths in the foyer were used to exhibit all of the masterpieces hand created by the participants.
A closing ceremony was held where the exhibitions were on display from 8.00am to 4.00pm. During this time, all students and staff were able to vote on their favourite structure. A score board was displayed showing the current number of votes for each structure. Over 600 votes were cast by the students and staff of UNITEN. In the evening, the students were welcomed to join the closing ceremony. Three lecturers from the Civil Engineering Department were invited to be the honourable guest judges for the “UNITEN in the Future” competition. They were Dr Chua Kok Hua, Dr Fathoni Usman and Miss Ean Lee Woen. The ceremony started with speeches from Dr Chua Kok Hua and the president of ICE UNITEN Student Chapter. Then, the participants were to briefly describe their creations while the judges rated each structure.
The final score was devised of both the judges’ score and the public’s vote, The 1st place was awarded to Wan Hariz Adhwa Wan Mazuki who designed the new version of the college’s building. The structure was modern, eco-friendly as well as innovative. On top of that, the workmanship of the structure was excellent.
The 1st Prize Winner, a conceptual design for the Civil Engineering Laboratory. The simple yet unique design, as well as exquisite workmanship makes this model a huge stand out in the competition.