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

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 comprising four students from the Faculty of Built Environment (FOBE) are Chan Zi Jie pursuing the 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 that took them to the final stage is called "PlasFold Home". This project aims to provide rapid response disaster relief to those affected by natural disasters globally. Emphasising cost-effectiveness, the project focuses on utilising flat-pack building components that could be easily transported in standard-sized shipping units. These components could be airlifted to the site and assembled swiftly by local, unskilled labour using basic tools. As a result, efficient deployment and utilisation of resources 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. No doubt that the preparation for the competition was intense and stressful but the end result of what I have learnt and experienced are valuable for me. 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,” she detailed.