TAR UMT Team Secures Second Place in Global Building Challenge

TAR UMT is among the top teams in the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Global Student Challenge 2024 by securing second place in the competition as announced on 22 April 2024. The team competed with 41 other teams from 20 universities around the world.

The team working on their proposal for the competition (from left to right): Zi Jie, Eva, Xin Wei and Valerie.

The team comprising four students from the Faculty of Built Environment (FOBE) are Chan Zi Jie, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Architecture (Hons); Eva Selviana Binti Sanuwar from the Bachelor of Construction Management and Economics (Hons) as well as Chen Xin Wei, and Valerie Voon Kher Yiing, who are studying the Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Hons).

The students’ innovative proposal, Plasfold Home, took them to the final stage. This project aims to provide rapid disaster relief to those affected by natural disasters globally. Emphasising cost-effectiveness, it focuses on utilising flat-pack building components that can be easily transported in standard-sized shipping units. These components can be airlifted to the site and assembled swiftly by local, unskilled labour using essential tools. As a result, efficient deployment and resource utilisation are achieved, ensuring a swift response to disaster situations.

Valerie Voon shared what she got out of the experience of competing in this challenge.

“I now see the value of stepping outside my comfort zone to acquire new skills while actually tackling real-world problems. There is no doubt that the preparation for the competition was intense and stressful, but the result of what I have learnt and experienced is valuable for me," Valerie said.

She detailed, "I am now able to know how to deal with an intense and demanding situation and this will be very useful for me. I also appreciate the opportunity of meeting and interacting with students from different countries who are studying in the same field as I am."