Prepared by: The Director of Architecture Program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alice Sabrina Ismail

Elderly living and the concept of ageing in place is a crucial issue faced by many well-developed and developed nations.

Malaysia’s life expectancy, for instance, may increase by 2030, in which the ageing population aged above 65 years and over, is growing faster than all other age groups.

It is expected that this ageing population will be more than 15% of the total population in the year 2030, and this percentage is likely to rise higher over the next three decades.

The increasing longevity indicates the climbing numbers of surviving older people, who demand better living and Quality of Life (QoL) later in life and retirement concerning housing, health services, transportation and social participation.

Realizing this, a lecture presented by a lecturer from School of Architecture, University of Sheffield, Adjunct Prof. Dr. Karim Hadjri, highlighted on the framework of the elderly housing design concept about optimizing care delivery models to support ageing-in-place (ODESSA) project.

Adjunct Prof. Dr. Karim Hadjri is an architect and is the Head of Architecture School at the University of Sheffield.

He has led and participated in 28 international research projects worldwide on age-friendly environments sustainable design of the built environment, including housing and health.

This ODESSA project is a collaborative partnership between the United Kingdom, China, and France research group.

This project aims to establish a design guideline for future elderly housing concerning mobility, sensory, cognitive, health and safety, and social inclusion.

This event, conducted on 14th December 2021, was officiated by the Director of the UTM Architecture Program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alice Sabrina Ismail and moderated by Dr. Iziq Eafifi Ismail.

It has received positive feedback and attracted many local and international students and academic staff from various institutions, including public and private agencies.

The 4-hour dialogue session highlighted many issues faced by elderly housing, looking into examples of case studies in China and the European Union.

This online lecture promotes and heightens the sense of awareness among academicians, students and the public to propagate a feeling of responsibility in providing a better living environment for the elderly population.

Due to overwhelmed response from many parties, the UTM Architecture program will organize more dialogues on housing development to promote better living quality for the future society of Malaysia.

Prepared by: The Director of Architecture program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alice Sabrina Ismail

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Architecture Programme successfully organized an E-Carnival Roadshow, ‘Jom Masuk Senibina UTM 2022’, a collaboration event with Johor Matriculation College.

This collaboration initiative was sparked by a bilateral meeting between the two parties in early December 2021.

It aimed to provide exposure on the career of architectural professionals and the marketability of graduates in this field, not only to matriculation students but also to secondary schools, parents and general public.

This roadshow, conducted on 30th January 2022, was officiated by the Dean of Faculty Built Environment, Assoc. Prof. Sr. Dr. Kherun Nita Ali.

The opening remark was done by the Head of Architecture Program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alice Sabrina Ismail, and moderated by Dr. Iziq Eafifi Ismail.

This roadshow received positive feedback and attracted many local students and teachers from matriculation centers, public and private schools throughout Malaysia, and the public.

The 4-hour roadshow session highlighted the benefit of enrolling in the architecture program by the program coordinators, Dr. Roshida Abdul Majid, Dr. Fadhlina Ahmad @ Taufik and Mr. Azari Mat Yasir.

There is also a particular slot on having successful alumni in the architecture field: the author of ‘Ustazah Basikal’ book, Mr. Ahmad Mohd Isa, who had sold 30,000 copies worldwide and a famous YouTube influencer, Mr. Muhammad Izzuddin Awang Junit (The Pakcik/Keraf Studio YouTube Channel).

Apart from that, the roadshow also invited graduates from Matriculation Center, Dr. Azalillah Ramdani Musa and Dr. Tengku Intan Suraya Tengku Aziz on career development path in the field of architecture.

This roadshow was attended by 150 participants, indicating an overwhelmed and positive response from many parties. It is hoped that many will enroll in the architecture program for the new intake Semester 1 2022/2023.

This early exposure is vital to produce high-quality and holistic graduates who are going to venture into the job market and meet the current industry and market’s needs. This also will contribute to the nation’s development in line with the requirements of the country Shared Prosperity Vision Policy (DWKB2030).

Prepared by: The Director of Architecture program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alice Sabrina Ismail

As part of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Architecture program initiatives to upskill the students with professional exposure towards excellent employability in the global market, an international event was conducted with UTM Career Centre and the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying.

This occasion was held on the 21st February 2022 and officiated by the Head of Architecture Program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alice Sabrina Ismail, moderated by Dr. Iziq Eafifi Ismail.

Two main prominent speakers in the industry, represented by the principal architect from Farik Ghaffar Architect, Ar. Ahmad Farik Abd Ghaffar, and the principal architect of Rushdina Architect, Ar. Rushdina Ismail, were invited to share their professional experience on value-added skills and the importance of having soft skills.

Future graduates will need to regularly upskill during their careers as the challenge to match graduate skills with industry demands has never been more significant for employability.

Employability, therefore, is not just about getting a job; it is about a broader set of attributes that will enable a graduate to be successful throughout their working life.

It cannot be easily ignored, as thinking about employability from an early stage is likely to increase the chance of success in one’s chosen career.

In this regard, both speakers provided valuable inputs not only for students but also to graduates in order for them to enhance new abilities to become versatile, resilient and critical thinker individuals with game-changer attitudes.

In addition, they also highlighted graduates to be technologically-savvy employees who have digital transformation skills to face the critical challenges in the 21st century workplace environment.

This event, which lasted for four hours, was well-received by students from different backgrounds representing local and abroad universities, polytechnic, and colleges.

Almost 200 attendees from various fields participated in this session.

Many gave positive feedback and looked forward to having a similar program conducted in the near future.

From a survey done, many agree that early exposure to the industry is vital to prepare graduates for real-world insights before entering the workplace.

This is essential to cope with rapid changes in the industry and take charge of their learning.