AN amazing 26,600 visitors attended the 10th Malaysia Architecture, Interior Design and Building Exhibition (ARCHIDEX 09) held from July 2-5 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The four-day event, aimed at architects, interior designers, developers, quantity surveyors, engineers and other building industry professionals, was jointly organised by PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia /Malaysian Institute of Architects) and C.I.S Network Sdn Bhd.

ARCHIDEX 09 was held concurrently with the PAM 2009 Convention attended by delegates from all over Malaysia and from abroad.

Works Minister Datuk Shaziman bin Abu Mansor was represented by his deputy Datuk Yong Khoon Seng at the ARCHIDEX 09 opening ceremony.

The event has developed into the largest architectural, interior design and building industry exhibition in Malaysia. ARCHIDEX 09 occupied six halls at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The 800-plus exhibition booths were taken up by more than 300 local and international exhibitors.

Participants came from Australia,Austria, Italy, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and of course, Malaysia.

ARCHIDEX 09 also featured international collaboration with Austria as a “country partner.” The Austrian Embassy commercial counsellor in Malaysia, Dr Franz Schroeder, stated that the partnership has brought remarkable exposure in promoting Austrian culture, building practice and services to the Malaysian architectural, interior design and building industry scene.

To facilitate networking between exhibitors and architects as well as designers, more than 20 exhibitors hosted cocktail receptions at their respective booths on Designers’ Day and Architects’ Day.

Exhibitors went the extra mile to launch new products in the Malaysian market, no doubt, encouraged by the New Product Awards (NPA) that evaluated potential winners based on their designs, functions and features.

A total of 44 exhibitors submitted 54 entries of which eight were selected as winners. The winners were duly awarded during the Building Industry Dinner.

Chezy Industries Sdn Bhd emerged winner of the Best New Product Award for its environmentally-friendly and cost-saving Inspection Chamber, which is the first of its kind in South-East Asia. Company managing director Sabrina Yaacob, pointed out that winning the New Product Award had helped them gain greater exposure and created awareness within the building and construction industry,especially among architects and developers.

Lights and lamps of all shapes and sizes are part of the exhibition.

RBM Foam Concrete Machine and O.D. Paints Sdn Bhd also emerged winners while honorary mention went to Composite Technology Wood Sdn Bhd, Tian Cern (M) Sdn Bhd, LED Vision Sdn Bhd, JI Green Sdn Bhd and Sansico Industries Sdn Bhd.

Recognising the growing awareness of environmental issues, ARCHIDEX set another milestone by highlighting ecological and environmentally-friendly products showcased by selected exhibitors. BASF and Nippon Paint also presented the Green Biz @ ARCHIDEX talks to present the latest information about their products. They took the opportunity to explain how their new products were environmentally- friendly.

“EXPOSE” DISPLAY

Another highlight of the event was the EXPOSE @ ARCHIDEX display. Featuring a range of audio-visual equipment, sculptures, designer furniture and modern lighting fixtures, the entire display was an inspiring presentation of the latest concepts and trends in home design.

“After visiting EXPOSE, not only did I gain what I needed, I found the lighting contrast interesting and the actual product itself. This is good, as the concept of using a ‘dark light’ approach works quite well with the environment’s ambience ,” said Design Worldwide Partnership Malaysia managing director Mark Coney.

PAM’s annual International Architectural Design Conference – DATUM: KL2009 attracted over 2,200 delegates comprising architects, interior designers and students from related fields. They were enraptured with the line-up of world-renowned speakers who presented their outstanding works and findings related to this year’s theme “Basic Design: The New Intelligence.”

Meanwhile, KL Design Forum 09 (KLDF09) which focused on “Biomimicry – Nature as a Model, Measure and Mentor ” and the inaugural Green Building Forum 09 (GBF 09) which highlighted “The New Green Industrial Revolution” garnered more than 1,400 delegates for both forums.

In total, 19 prominent international and local speakers shared their insight and project experience in the world of architecture and design in the conference an d forums. Other networking opportunities and highlights included the Building Industry Dinner, PAM members night and professionals networking evening, Austrian Day, architectural site visits and the ARCHIDEX 09 golf challenge trophy.

Architects and interior designers, who visited ARCHIDEX 09, and attended the conference and forums had the chance to win architectural and interior design software, sponsored by TS Exim S dn Bhd in the Visit a nd Win Contest.

ARCHIDEX 09 not only highlighted the latest developments in the built environment, but also served as an annual gathering for indu stry professionals involved in architecture, interior design as well as building and construction to network and share indepth information on high-profile pro jects presented by famous international and local personalities.

Next year’s ARCHIDEX is scheduled from July 1-4 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. For more information, visit www.archidex.com.my

The Star – 17th July 2009