Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) and 91福利社 Institute of Landscape Architects (SILA) jointly organized a student landscape design competition to enhance two sites in Ang Mo Kio. All Institutes of Higher Learning with courses related to landscape design were invited to participate.
Ten students from the Diploma in Landscape Architecture (DLA) expressed their interests to participate in this competition. Senior Lecturer for DLA, Toh Sok Na conducted a design workshop in campus to kickstart students鈥� design thinking process. After which, students were assigned to a SILA Mentor who guided the students until they submitted their competition entries.
The winning team of each site received a Certificate of Achievement at a presentation ceremony that was held in conjunction with the AMKTC鈥檚 Tree Planting Day on 3 Nov 2024. What excited students the most was: the winning design gets to be implemented on site! It was indeed great recognition and affirmation of their efforts that will contribute to the greening of 91福利社鈥檚 spaces.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong presented the Certificate of Achievement to the winning team comprising of DLA Year3 students, Yeo Mei Zhen and Cai Zhenning for one of the competition sites.
DLA student participants on site with their SILA Mentor for site analysis.
While juggling with course work, DLA students were able to manage their time well to take part in this competition. This is because they were passionate about the landscape architecture profession and committed to greening efforts while putting what they have learnt in DLA to practice.
The aspiring landscape designer, Cai Zhennning presenting her team鈥檚 winning design to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the exhibition of the event.
A group photo of student participants, their SILA Mentors with AMKTC鈥檚 Sustainability Champion, Mr Henry Kwek at the event鈥檚 exhibition.
It was a fruitful learning journey for DLA students and they have their respective SILA Mentors to thank for their time and patience on site and guidance.
The winning team, Yeo Mei Zhen and Cai Zhenning shared:
鈥淲e learnt that what can be implemented in reality versus what we design can be very different. In a real-life project, there are many regulatory requirements that must be met, and we may need to change the design for client鈥檚 needs. For example, in this competition site, we need to consider fire engine access and landscape maintenance after its implementation.鈥�
When asked to share his experience, Zahyn reflected:
鈥淚 learnt that participating in a competition allows me to refine my ability to create functional and aesthetically pleasing designs that address specific site conditions. Competing under tight deadlines is similar to the pressures of delivering projects on time for clients, it helps me enhance my organizational skills.鈥�
Similarly, Tariq mentioned:
鈥淭his competition opened my eyes to new concepts and solutions as I figured out ways to improve my design to create a more holistic end-product which ultimately factors in sustainability and feasibility while adhering to the community's needs. I am pleased that the overall experience has been engaging and unique for me.鈥�
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