Students Explore Industry Innovations at ARCHIDEX 2026

On 29 July 2026, staff and students from the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Interior Architecture and Design and Diploma in Interior Design programmes of First City University College (FCUC) recently embarked on an educational visit to ARCHIDEX 2026, held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur.

ARCHIDEX is one of Asia's leading architecture, interior design, and building industry exhibitions, bringing together architects, interior designers, manufacturers, suppliers, and industry professionals from around the world. The visit provided FCUC students with a valuable opportunity to experience the latest trends, technologies, materials, and innovations shaping the future of the built environment.

During the exhibition, students explored a wide range of product showcases, including sustainable building materials, smart home technologies, innovative furniture designs, lighting systems, surface finishes, and environmentally responsible design solutions. The exposure allowed students to gain first-hand insights into current industry practices and emerging developments that are influencing contemporary interior architecture and design.

The educational visit also enabled students to interact with exhibitors, industry experts, and design professionals. Through these engagements, students learned about real-world project applications, professional expectations, and career pathways within the design and construction sectors. Such interactions helped bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry practice, reinforcing the importance of practical knowledge and continuous innovation.

Faculty members accompanying the students highlighted the significance of industry exposure as part of FCUC's commitment to providing a holistic and industry-relevant educational experience. By observing current market trends and professional practices, students were able to better appreciate how design concepts taught in the classroom are translated into functional and aesthetically appealing spaces.

MIID Students’ Saturday 27:12

First City University College’s Interior Architecture and Design students proudly showcased their creativity and future-forward thinking at the MIID Students’ Saturday 27:12, held on 11 October 2025 at SEGI University, Kota Damansara. The event, themed “Speculative”, was organised by the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers (MIID) and hosted by SEGI University, bringing together interior design institutions from across Malaysia to explore the future of design and challenge creative boundaries.

Students from both the Diploma in Interior Design (DID) and Bachelor of Interior Architecture and Design (BIAD) programmes participated enthusiastically in various competition categories, including Ideation, Installation Art, Sketching, and Recycled Material Sculpture. Their innovative ideas and design excellence earned them widespread recognition and a remarkable collection of awards.

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🏆 FCUC Winners Highlights

Ideation (Design Competition) – Diploma Level

• Residential Design: Hey Wen Xuan – 2nd Place
• Commercial Design: Ooi Qi Earn – Honourable Mention, Chong Jian Min – 3rd Place
• Integrated Design: Lim Lee Tong – Honourable Mention

Ideation (Design Competition) – Degree Level

• Commercial Design: Lee Chai Xuan – 1st Place
• Hospitality Design: Cheng Jia Hao – Honourable Mention, Kimberly Oddie – 2nd Place
• Integrated Design: Yap Jet Yee – 3rd Place

Exposition (Installation Art)

• Lim Tong Ern, Yap Li Xuan, Kong Yuen Theng & Lee Wei Yan – 1st Place

Scribbling (Sketching) – Lecturer Category

• Ar. IDr Tan Yee Ling – 1st Place

Curating (Art on Surface) – Intervarsity

• Hor Yi Wen & Kong Shi Yi – 2nd Place

Artvgnza (Recycled Material Sculpture) – Intervarsity

• Natalie Wong Zi Ning – 3rd Place
• Cherish Anabelle – 1st Place

💬 Student Reflections

Chloe Lee, a Diploma in Interior Design student, shared:

“This event truly pushed us out of our comfort zones. It wasn’t just about design—it was about imagination, experimentation, and expressing our vision of the future.”

Hey Wen Xuan added:

“Seeing so many creative works reignited my passion for design. Malaysia’s young designers are bold, expressive, and ready to challenge conventions.”

MIID STUDENTS’ SATURDAY 2024

     This year MIID and Taylor’s University collaborated to organize the annual Student Saturday. This year's theme is “Sapot Lokal” which serves as an important platform for students from different universities around Malaysia to participate in exciting competitions and network not just with students but also with industry professionals. It is a special day for us as interior designers to share knowledge and embrace design in terms of aesthetics, quality, and sustainability.

The picture showed our Students participating in the Furniture Design Competition. The outstanding prototype and work displayed by the student caught the attention of most of the industry professionals and students from other universities. 

The picture shows one of our degree students presenting his work to one of the accessors during the event.

   In a tight competition against 19 other esteemed higher learning institutions and a staggering 600+ talented, budding interior designers, First City University College students showcased their talent and skills and took home a remarkable haul of awards. FCUC students managed to secure 2 silver, 2 bronze, and 2 honorable mentions awards across a multitude of design categories.

   For the intervarsity competition-Graffiti, the students managed to secure an Honorary Mention Award. Whereas for both the Hikayat performance and Bizpod design competition, FCUC students also managed to secure an honorary mention award.

Here’s the full list of First City University College’s outstanding achievements:

  

Hikayat Performance: Honorary Mention

Gui Zhi Xiang, Lim Yann Shen, Yu Jing Ling,OOI Qi Earn, Lok Yik  Ming, Lee Kok Zhen, Tey Winnie, Lim Tong Earn, Ling Kai Xin, Eunice Chua

 

Bizpod Design : Honorary Mention

Yap Jet Yee, Siao Yu En, Soo Yee Jing

 

Intervarsity Competition- Graffiti: Honorary Mention

Team 9

Chin Wei Qi

Teow Wey Yng

Alida Abdul Rahman

 

Design Competition

Diploma

Residential Category:

OOI QI EARN-Honorary Mention

 

Office Category:

Chau Zi Xuan- 2nd Place

 

Intergrated Category:

Justina Lee Yi- 3rd Place

Congratulations to all the winners!!

BIAD Sept 2023 Orientation Activity - Extravagant Parade

To welcome back our BIAD degree students, the faculty members of the Faculty of Design and Built Environment (FDBE) gathered to organize activities for the orientation week and also held a competition known as the Extravagant Parade Competition. This orientation creative competition aims to train students to generate creative ideas for parade costume designs and flags with the FCUC theme, representing FCUC using recycled materials. Nevertheless, this activity aims to enhance the engagement between seniors, juniors, and lecturers so that students have a better understanding of the university culture and traditions. Besides training them on their creativity and innovation, this orientation activity also aims to help them get to know and interact with the lecturers of the faculty, enhance their engagement and interaction, and prepare them well for the upcoming semester.

The Extravagant Parade competition is held on September 15, 2023 (Friday), the 5th day of orientation week in SSD, Level G, South Building of FCUC. There are two brilliant groups; a total of 16 students participated in the competition. Students who participate exhibit their creativity and knowledge, putting them into designing the costumes, flags, banners with the FCUC theme, and even the movement and march of the 5-minute parade. The costume designed by students is not only aesthetic pleasing but also has a meaningful FCUC theme and showcases the variety of usage of recycled materials and eco-friendly products, transforming the parade into a fascinating and unforgettable scenery.

We wish to extend our congratulations to the following winning groups, whose creativity stood out among the participants.

Extravagant Parade Competition:

1ST PRIZE: The Gryffindor Team

- RALPH HA SHAU SENG

 ISABELL NATALLIE AARON

-CHAN PEI NI

-  DANALAKSHMI VADIVELU 

- LOW LE TAO

- SARAH LIONG

- BONG PEI ZHE

- GOH CHENG HAO

-CHLOE SAW KAI YEE

-LING KAI XIN 

-NICHOLAS CHEE ZHENG JACK 

-YONG YU QI 

- HANNAH TING NA NA

-PANG JIN TOA

- LAI CHUN FAI 

-LAI XIN YI 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN PRIZE:

The Gryffindor Team

- RALPH HA SHAU SENG

 ISABELL NATALLIE AARON

CHAN PEI NI

-  DANALAKSHMI VADIVELU 

- LOW LE TAO

- SARAH LIONG

- BONG PEI ZHE

- GOH CHENG HAO

-CHLOE SAW KAI YEE

-LING KAI XIN 

-NICHOLAS CHEE ZHENG JACK 

-YONG YU QI 

- HANNAH TING NA NA

-PANG JIN TOA

- LAI CHUN FAI 

-LAI XIN YI 

2ND PRIZE: The Black Squad Team

-MARYAM AHMED

-HARRESHA GUNAPRAKAS

-CHARLYNE LOW

-ERIC LIEW YU CHIEN

-EUNICE CHUA

-HO YU XUN

Diploma Showcase - Momentum Aug 2023

        The long- awaited and most anticipated event, the Momentum Aug 2023, the diploma graduation                                                                     showcase is finally here. 

      The launching of the MOMENTUM AUG 2023 was presided over by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Saw Sor Heoh and was also attended by the FDBE Deputy Dean Associate Professor Dr Debbie Gan, Dean of the FDBE, Assistant Professor Chua Huwi Huwi, and the Board of Governors, Director Tan Sri Dato' (Dr) Teo Chiang Liang. Nevertheless, the event was also attended by faculty members, distinguished guests, and industry collaborators.

A total of  19 student projects were displayed at MOMENTUM this year, including 15 projects from the Diploma in Interior Design curriculum and 4 projects from the Diploma in Graphic Design program.

Thank you to all the industry collaborators, guests and family who has show support and attended the event. To all graduates, thank you for being a part of FCUC,  your journey does not end here but has just begun. May all of you shine and be the most competent designers in the industry.

Thank you First City University & Faculty of Design and Built Environment!

The graduates E-booklet is available at: