In this second issue of Volume 35, we celebrate the work of the winners of the PAM Awards 2023. This year, PAM has adopted a fully digitised submission system enabling a streamlined and inclusive approach that has encouraged greater participation from the architecture community. A total of 120 submissions were received, 52 projects were shortlisted, and 26 projects were awarded prizes. As practising architects, we probably have all received invitations to participate in ‘awards’ requiring payment to a dubious overseas-based organisation where in most cases, all paid entries are accorded an award. In comparison, it is impossible to buy a PAM Award. Our process is made to be as transparent as possible – a jury of esteemed architects and allied professionals will assess all entries. The criteria for selection are clear and unambiguous. Shortlisted entries undergo a technical assessment of the project conducted by a fellow architect on behalf of the jury, and it is the jury that makes a final decision.
Prior to writing this, I was roped in one evening on Clubhouse to share my thoughts on the culture and need for Critique in Architecture and how there is so little of it happening in the Malaysian context. Those contributing to the discussion opined that Malaysian architects seem to be averse to any form of public criticism of their work. This is a stark contrast to what architects experienced as students where our work is always open to criticism from a panel of assessors. I was asked, in my capacity as the Editor-in-Chief of AM, what my thoughts were, and whether or not the AM supported more critical articles of architecture. Hence I thought it fitting to pen some thoughts on this topic in this issue’s editorial.
When we reflect on our time at university, we all faced design critique sessions with much anxiety and trepidation. I believe these critique sessions for students’ work are not meant to be harsh or unkind to the students – but as a reminder to all of us, including the ‘experts’ invited to be on the crit panel, that we always have a duty of care to be responsible designers. The world today is saddled with scarcity, annual environmental disasters, the constant threat of economic destabilisation due to conflict, climate-related natural disasters, and the increased frequency of global zoonotic health pandemics – we simply do not have the luxury of putting up new buildings that are unfit for purpose. Doing so would be a wasteful endeavour. Each site presents an opportunity cost not just for the landowner but for the community at large. When we consider the total lifecycle of a building and its impact on its occupants and the environment over the span of at least 50 years – the responsibility of the designer is immense.
At AM, every page we print carries also an opportunity cost. Our intention here is not to feature poor examples of architecture, but rather to celebrate the good examples – if not the best examples – of the transformative nature of design and how much it impacts individuals and society as a whole. To take it a step further, we welcome all members of our fraternity who are keen to write critical reviews of exemplary buildings to communicate and articulate why something ought to be celebrated as a fantastic work of architecture. Malaysian architects must also be bold and open to being professionally evaluated by globally renowned architecture critics and be confident that the quality of our work is of an international standard.
The AM has a reach beyond our small community of architects and is effectively the public voice of architects and the institute. Hence, we must continue to effectively hone our abilities to communicate our values, ideals and aspirations to the general public through this medium via written discourse complemented by the work of talented architecture photographers. Architects who have the noble ambition to be great designers also need to be excellent communicators and advocates for great design outcomes for any project, large or small.
Architects are involved in design at all scales: from the Scarpa-esque intricacies of a doorknob; to an intimate interior space such as a kitchen; to the design of a multistorey housing complex; a complex arrangement of rooms found in a general hospital; an intricately designed park connected to intricately designed transportation infrastructure; to urban masterplans for hundreds of thousands of inhabitants; the work of the architect is profoundly important.
In this Awards Issue for 2023, let us take the time to truly celebrate our peers in an altruistic and magnanimous manner while striving to improve ourselves to achieve even greater heights. Contrary to what a large number of architects believe, consumers do pay for better-designed outcomes. I am optimistic that developers have learnt from the painful lesson of the pandemic that poorly designed ‘products’ are difficult to sell. Architects ought to have confidence in their abilities as designers and continue to improve themselves and deliver better design outcomes by being open to critique of their work. Through a simple function of economics, when demand for good design outcomes exceeds supply, market forces correct upwards.
Ad maiora!
David WL Teoh
Editor-in-Chief, Architecture Malaysia
