CURTIN SARAWAKEN
Led by Fellow of the Curtin Academy and GDS co-founder and director Associate Professor Khoa Do, a group comprising 77 students and graduate architects, as well as industry experts Dr Emil Jonescu, Mr Triet Le and Mr Alejandro Gil, Project Facilitator Mr Chris Leong and Dr Boon Lay Ong Head of Discipline of Architecture, School of Built Environment, Faculty of Humanities at Curtin University’s Perth Campus, chose Sarawak as the destination for their international field trip component of their studies in architecture—the GDS Malaysia LiveABILITY Project comprising three stages.
Sarawak was chosen largely because of the diverse opportunities for impactful study it offers, as well as an ongoing collaboration in student mobility between the Perth Campus and Curtin Malaysia, Curtin University’s largest international campus here.
Through engagement with industry experts, the second stage ‘Xtrapolation’ will advance findings from stage one into projects that will support dialogue and engagement with the wider community and highlight the importance of Curtin Malaysia’s intellectual footprint. The final stage will see the findings of the intellectual footprint being positioned globally through the hosting of an ‘Industry SYMPOSIUM’ the namesake of the final stage.
Commencing with a think-tank stage ‘Conversational PIECE’ students undertook a scoping-study of Sarawak discovering value insights into learning and teaching at Curtin Malaysia, including campus activation and learning environments, design and creative thinking pedagogy, influence of community and cultures, and the impact of Sarawak’s tourism and economic development strategies. The first of several planned visits includes deliverables that have translated into the ‘CURTIN SARAWAKEN’ exhibition. This, and future exhibitions to be held at Curtin Malaysia, includes a collection of physical artefacts and interactive experiences that capture local narratives, illustrate the ‘intellectual footprint’ of the Malaysian campus, captivate imagination through creative works, and communicate Sarawak’s potential future (the evolving identity of the place).
