Dr. Sarah Salih, Lavinnya, Noor Daniel Ikmal, & Eddie Irvine George

Architecture is one of the most challenging courses and careers that one can study and practice. It is an exceptional course depending on the student’s abilities, imagination, and passion and the lecturers’ passion and creativity. As a lecturer, you should keep your students motivated all the time. You should be close to them and touch their passion to bring out the best in them. Lecturers should usually search for a new teaching approach to make architecture study attractive for this generation of future architects, as the traditional teaching approach is not practical anymore, especially with the modern life challenges of the generation gap and the effect of social media. Therefore, Field-Based Learning should be activated as a part of the architecture teaching approach to emphasize the students’ critical thinking and group work on the field. Therefore, as a part of the syllabus at the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Design and Architecture (FRSB), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Year 2 Students (Elysia Students) have conducted an enjoyable site visit to Impact Integrated Building at Puchong, on May 11th 2023.

This complex “Impact Integrated Malaysia” provides different activities designed for “Youth,” and driven by Malaysian youths under the purview of the Ministry of Youth & Sports, such as Picksum, SpaceRubix, ESI, WNZ Sports, and mySukan. The Elysian students learned many exciting things during an amusing tour of the Impact Integrated Buildings, as Mr. Muhammad Salahuddin Bin Md Nor took us around the Impact Integrated Buildings. We were also able to participate in physical and sports activities. These kinds of interactive site visits can contribute to more meaningful knowledge. It was another fantastic day with Elysian Students. We have learned many meaningful things about Architecture on this excellent tour at Impact Integrated Buildings. We also enjoyed the authentic Malaysian hospitality of the owners of WNZ Sports Arena and SpaceRubix sports facilities operator, Mr Nik Muhd Radzi bin Mohamed Noor, who provided us with Free Extra-Large Packs of Milo.

We “Elysia Architecture Students”, went on a studio trip to study and analyze the building materials and spatial organization of Impact Malaysia located in Puchong. This academic visit provided us with valuable insights and ideas that they could incorporate into their future architectural designs. During the trip, we were able to examine the materials used in the construction of the building, including the eco-friendly materials utilized to reduce the building’s carbon footprint. The students were encouraged to take notes and sketches of the building’s features, which they later used in their studio projects. The building of Impact Malaysia is a multi-purpose facility designed to host various activities and events. The building has a total floor area of 46,000 square meters and it is divided into several zones. One of the zones of the building is dedicated to sports and recreation. During the Elysia studio trip, we were able to observe and experience some of the activities at this zone, such as the gym, a Muay Thai centre, and game courts. Aside from the sports and recreation zone, Impact Malaysia also has other zones such as the exhibition halls, conference rooms, and co-working spaces. The building's program and function are designed to cater to various needs and activities for “Youth.” It serves as a hub for sports, recreation, events, and business, all in one convenient location. The Elysia students' studio trip provided them with first-hand experience of the building's functionalities, which we can use as a reference in their future architectural projects.

Overall, the studio trip to Impact Malaysia was an enriching experience for us “Elysia Students”. We were able to gain valuable insights and knowledge about sustainable design, building materials, and spatial organization, which they can incorporate into their future architectural projects. The visit was a great success and provided the students with a hands-on experience that will prove invaluable in their future careers as architects. “It was really an exciting field trip; we got to learn and had a fun time with each other. I think that's what made this entire trip much more interesting,” said Zahirah, a member of Elysia. The trip provided the students with a unique opportunity to not only learn but also engage in sports and recreational activities, which made the experience more enjoyable and memorable.

During this academic visit, we were introduced to the main area of the building and various types of activities carried out there, such as recording studios, public activity areas and administrative areas. The area are very attractive, user-friendly, and unique and provides a variety of places suitable for photography and recreation. Along the way, we managed to consider a few of the unique features and materials used for their buildings as references for the student life centre of the current design studio project. As soon as our journey at Impact Malaysia ends, we move to the adjacent building called SpaceRubix, located at the back of the administrative wings. We were amazed by the colourful and bizarre facade outside the building. The facade seems to depict that this is a place to play and have fun. Even more surprising, the SpaceRubix is full of gaming rooms decorated in a futuristic style with the use of a lot of coloured led lights and the arrangement of spaces such as multimedia rooms, broadcast rooms, and training rooms that are very organized. Last, we enjoyed the trip so much and wish to be here again.

The main building of Impact Integrated is “SpaceRubix,” which comes with a rainbow and colourful façade which could bring a sense of joy and relate to the function and programmes of the building. We, “Elysian”, spent almost 3 hours at Impact Malaysia learning and looking at spatial programming. After the lunch break, we went to the sports area behind “SpaceRubix.” Firstly, we explored the gymnasium and tried all the facilities at the gym. The completed facilities bring a sense of satisfaction. Other than that, we tried the free trial Muay Thai session given by the trainer; 30 minutes spending times on doing Muay Thai training was exciting. After we tried Muay Thai, our coordinator gave us almost 2 hours to spend pleasure on the court provided by Impact Malaysia. We have divided ourselves into two groups to have an exciting recreational experience on the sports field. Most of us played dodgeball, which was much more exciting, and spent time together as classmates. The other group also played futsal which was joined by Dr Sarah also. Last but not least, we are spending a lot of experiences together and creating a new bonding between us and the lecturers. I hope we can have the same experiences as that again. Thank you very much to our department “Department of Architecture, UPM” and Impact Malaysia and Mr Salah for allowing us to be on this exciting trip.

Date of Input: 10/08/2023 | Updated: 10/08/2023 | uswahhasanah