BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Brunei Association of Surveyors, Engineers and Architects (PUJA) presented the Student Design Award to seven recipients during the association’s full-term Annual General Meeting (AGM) dinner yesterday.

All recipients were students from the Politeknik Brunei and Nakhoda Ragam Vocational School.

The ceremony was held at the Manggis Ballroom, Hua Ho Manggis Mall.

Lee Han Heng of the PUJA (Brunei) organising committee, said the PUJA Student Design Award was aimed at recognising students’ academic excellence and also promote an interest towards the construction industry.

Lee said that the award also served to provide a platform for exposure and interaction between students and fellow professionals and encourage them to further their education from existing diploma to higher degrees recognised by the Professional board.

One of the award recipients from Politeknik Brunei, Mohd Noh Hj Osman, said he was honoured to receive the award, which according to him was the first of its kind given to students.

The award, he said, encouraged more interest towards architectural professional fields, adding that commitment was the key to a good design.

“(Since) this is the first award for students, maybe they will organise more competitions and programmes in the future to expose students into the architectural world, and I look forward to it,” he added.

Echoing the sentiments of Mohd Noh was Nurhafiyah Abdullah, also a recipient from the Politeknik Brunei, who said that passion was among the contributing factor towards being committed to their designs.

Abdul Qawi Hj Ismail of the Nakhoda Ragam Vocational School said he was proud to receive the PUJA award.

“Alhamdulillah, this made me excited to (be more involved) in the fields of design and architecture,” he said.

Abdul Qawi, who had finished studying in the vocational school and is currently waiting for his graduation said that in the future, interior design and architecture, will be his first choice of profession.

Attending the dinner as the guest of honour was the Minister of Development, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman, who in his speech said that enhancing skills, knowledge and know-how, and learning from the experiences of others are key for professionals to strive towards a sustainable nation.

“As more and more development of infrastructure projects in the construction and oil and gas industries gets realised to cater for our growing nation, the demand for professional services to undertake those projects are also high,” said the development minister.

“As we undergo rapid modernisation and urbanisation, we are faced with the challenge and responsibility of ensuring that whilst industrial developments yield important benefits, this should not be at the expense of degrading the environment,” he added.

Noting that the world today is experiencing unpredictable climatic change and adverse weather conditions, the minister expressed the need to relate professional practices towards such changes and look deeper to ensure the protection of (national) assets.

“What engineering science or drainage system can we newly adopt, for instance, to reduce risks of landslides in potentially unstable hillsides,” said the minister.

“How much study have we done on proper slope management so that it can withstand the kind of weather conditions we are under at the moment?”

The dinner also saw to the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between PUJA Brunei and Brunei Energy Association to promote and foster science and technology related to their respective professions, among others.

The event concluded with the presentation of Certificate of Appreciation to former PUJA (Brunei) Council members and the welcoming of newly-elected members.

The Brunei Times