KUALA LUMPUR (July 3): The 23rd edition of the Architecture, Interior Design and Building Exhibition (Archidex) commenced with its opening ceremony officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim alongside Housing and Local Government (KPKT) minister Nga Kor Ming at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Wednesday.
Nga said this year’s exhibition is expected to garner over RM1 billion in sales transactions. He attributed this forecast to the bigger number of participants compared to last year. Running from July 3 to 6 this year, Archidex will host 700 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions and anticipate 40,000 visitors from over 100 countries.
There will also be Datum conference and various forums to facilitate knowledge-sharing among professionals and thought leaders on pressing issues in the built environment. Programmes such as the ARCAsia Committee for Young Architects, the Asian Young Architects Programme, and Architalent will also be featured to nurture the next generation of architectural talent.
In his welcoming address, Nga said “Archidex, is a showcase of innovative designs, cutting-edge technologies, and transformative solutions that will shape the future of architecture in this region. By highlighting ground-breaking innovations and sustainable practices, this event aims to inspire and drive the industry forward. Let us leverage the insights and innovations presented here to drive our industry to greater heights and create a lasting impact on the built environment.”
(Second and third from left) Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Housing and Local Government (KPKT) minister Nga Kor Ming visiting the exhibitions at Archidex 2024 with delegates from other Asean countries.
When delivering his opening remarks, Anwar said, “I’m pleased to know that many of our architects are familiar with and committed to ensure that what we show is not just any other city or concrete jungle, that’s same throughout the world. It has to have character, it has to be culturally vibrant in the context of Malaysia.
“If we do not take that into consideration in either planning, crafting or building. So it is important for developers, architects, planners and policymakers to ensure that our developments are culturally vibrant, modern and technologically sound, environmentally friendly and takes into consideration of the requirements of all sectors,” he added.
Meanwhile, Nga spoke about the Asean-China Ministerial Roundtable on Construction and Housing (ACMROCH) 2024, which will run from July 3 to 5 hosted by KPKT. “Tomorrow, we have the ACMROCH meeting, which will be attended by ministers and senior officials from the Asean region and China.
“The theme for this year's meeting, 'Building Sustainable Futures: Deepening Asean-China Cooperation in Housing and Urban Development for Prosperity', reflects the region's commitment to enhance collaboration and cooperation for a better and greener future. I am hopeful that we can achieve consensus and set priorities for accelerating the implementation of sustainable urban development in Asean and China.”
In a separate press conference, Nga said his ministry is currently working to create a more comprehensive and holistic approach for the country’s future developments. These include making amendments to existing acts and policies as well as developing more affordable and social homes.
“I have directed my ministry to reassess and update the existing acts and policies to better align with the current and future needs of all Malaysians. We are looking to improve Act 118, to introduce a rental tenancy agreement (RTA) and make amendments to the Town and Country Planning Act 1972. Some of our partners for this are PAM (Malaysian Institute of Architects), Institute Engineer Malaysia, Rehda (Real Estate and Housing Development Association Malaysia) and Persatuan Pembeli Rumah.”
Nga also revealed that several state governments had come forward to offer free land to KPKT to build social housing.
“In the past, the state governments sold the land to KPKT so about 35% of our allocation was used just to buy land. So the construction allocation became very low, which has resulted in a vicious cycle of bad-quality homes. Now, we have received 32 offers from across the country including all states, to surrender their land to KPKT. With this, we can use the entire allocation to build the houses, [hence] better quality can be expected,” he explained.
Besides that, during a tour around the exhibition, Anwar and Nga witnessed a handing over ceremony of a letter of interest from PR1MA Corp Malaysia group CEO and member of corp Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Md Shariff through its subsidiary PR1MA Communications Sdn Bhd to Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd's Malaysia business development department deputy country director Henry Hsu Yen Shuenn to integrate Huawei smart devices into future PR1MA developments.
In addition to that, both Anwar and Nga also witnessed a memorandum of understanding signed between Mohd Nazri and SANY Construction Industry Development (M) Sdn Bhd managing director for Saudi and Malaysia Wang Zhen Yi to foster innovation in smart renewable energy for PR1MA developments, in line with the nation’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
Archidex 2024 is jointly organised by PAM and CIS Network Sdn Bhd. The exhibition is supported by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia. MyCEB serves as a central hub to assist meeting and event planners to bid and stage international business events in Malaysia and act as a conduit for national product development to all local as well as international organisers.
