KUCHING: Another exciting year beckons for budding architects and interior designers as they embark on an experiential journey with the Asia Young Designers Awards (AYDA 2021) that has returned for the 14th year running with the theme Forward: Amplifying Empathy Through Design.
Billed the premier and leading young architectural and interior design awards, AYDA was organised by Nippon Paint Malaysia in 2008.
As a company that cares for the community, Nippon Paint kick-started AYDA with the vision to nurture the next generation of young designers through cross-learning experience and networking with industry professionals, while providing them a platform to showcase their work and realise their fullest potential.
As human desires are fluid and changes are inevitable, Nippon Paint continues to push the boundaries of young designers through different AYDA themes every year to ensure that their mindset evolve alongside various innovative approaches for the good of novelty, sustainability and creativity in designs for future living.
This year’s theme aims to challenge the next generation of architects and interior designers to grow beyond designing one-dimensional spaces and to incorporate the evolving demands of consumers, while factoring in critical factors such as sustainability and environmental care.
Each year, AYDA’s theme and programme is carefully selected and curated by Nippon Paint’s AYDA team that works closely with an advisory panel comprising of industry experts that analyses design trends and consumer needs to ensure that young designers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to prepare them for their professional journey.
With the challenges that have profoundly impacted lives around the world in the past Group managing director Yaw Seng Heng said that it was more crucial now than ever that products and services are created with empathy to fulfil the ever-changing needs of consumers today.
“In our vision to nurture young designers to elevate the standards of the design community, we want to walk with the next generation to be the best versions of themselves and to inculcate empathy in each of their designs.
“We hope that through our diligently designed programme for AYDA 2021, young talents in the design industry will continue to challenge themselves and strive to produce designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but to give birth to ideas that could potentially impact the future of humanity”, he added during the theme launch of AYDA 2021.
He said over the years, AYDA had evolved from being an award platform into a global design community comprising of industry experts and over 1,200 tertiary educational institutions across 16 geographical locations, impacting over 100,000 student designers by allowing them the exposure and real-life learning experience through networking.
With the expansion, Yaw also shared that the programme is now referred to as “eye-da” instead of A-Y-D-A, as it is previously known, putting less emphasis on the “A” for “Asia”, to illustrate that the Award welcomes talents beyond the Asia region, calling young designers from all over the world to participate as the community continues to grow.
Sharing the same vision, long-standing partner IJM Land Berhad has been part of the AYDA community for eight years now.
“As part of IJM Land’s commitment to shape and influence the future of real estate, we continually seek to nurture and empower new generations of design talent by supporting initiatives that connect creative education and industry experience.
“We have been continuously fascinated and amazed year after year with the fantastic creations and designs produced by all the talented students and this year is no different,’ said IJM Land Berhad group sales & marketing general manager Christine Wong.
During the launch, guests also got the opportunity to connect with chief judges Sarly Adre Sarkum (Architecture Category) and Ooi Boon Seong (Interior Design Category), and guest speakers Alif Arif Iskandar Abd Wahab from VERITAS Design Group and Blaine Robert from Blaine Robert Sdn Bhd.
AYDA 2021 is now open for registration and deadline for submissions is October 15, 2021.
For more information, interested individuals can visit https://www.asiayoungdesignerawards.com.my or our Facebook page @AYDAMalaysia.
