Frequently Asked Question

UPDATE FROM Q&A SESSION 7th September 2016.

1. Is there an extension on the deadline of the competition?

It will be considered as needed and will be announced a week before the submission deadline. 

 

2. Why does Universiti Malaya retain the copyright to the submission of Master Plan?
Universiti Malaya would like to retain the propriety of submission because we want to use the ideas and develop our own Master Plan and not for sale purposes.

 

3. Will there be a combination of master plan ideas entries for the Final Master Plan of Universiti Malaya?
There is no master plan and a lot of development is done in isolation in Universiti Malaya. Universiti Malaya is looking at what can be done and there is no such thing as one idea fits for all because UM is not a new campus. This is an existing campus. What the board of UM wants is to find what is best we can do and then UM will decide there on whether to adopt one of the two or one of the seven, this has not been decided. What we want is the idea from the professionals on what can be done to the campus.

 

4. For the submission of executive summary, will the 10 focus points be included in the word count?
The words on the 10 focus points will be counted separately.

 

5. What is the limitation of the design and creativity for the Master Plan Ideas Competition?
We stress towards the 10 focus points for the Master Plan. We want revitalize buildings in the campus. From an architect and planner point of view, you have to be realistic in the entire proposal you make and remember, it's a public university.

 

6. How many students are we looking at to improve? Is it stated in the full brief?
There is currently around 20,000 students in Universiti Malaya. The ratio of undergraduate to postgraduate students is 1:1. Out of 20,000 students, UM houses about 40% of the students. Ideally, UM would like to house 70% of the students and that is the minimum requirement. However, if it is a residential college, we can only charge not more than RM10 a day.

 

7. What is the boundary of the master plan? Does it include all of the areas?
The scope is the main campus and does not include Seksyen 12, 15, 16.

 

8. Can we build anything at Rimba Ilmu?
We need to re-enhance and re-adapt the main campus. We would also like to maintain Rimba Ilmu. UM is an urban university in the context of Kuala Lumpur. The size of Rimba Ilmu is 16 hectares. 85% is a secondary forest. Rimba ilmu will be a good community engagement for public to visit secondary forest in the heart of the city.

 

9. Can we add iconic buildings to strengthen Universiti Malaya?
As long as the history of UM is not lost. For example, the first Chancellor's office is at Faculty of Arts and Social Science and there is a plaque to remember the place.

 

10. What is the existing building height in Universiti Malaya?
That information will be provided in the appendices.

 

11. What are the criteria to assess the submission?
The assessment will be based on the 10 focus points.

 

12. Is there an opportunity for students to enter?
Students can enter the competition by partnering up with professional members of LAM and LPBM.

 

13. Will the campus community vote for all entries?
UM campus will vote on the final 7 finalists.

 

14. Can the winners of the UM Master Plan Ideas Competition 2016 continue to work with Universiti Malaya to develop the Master Plan?
The committee will submit a proposal to the board of directors based on the master plan ideas entries/finalists. To be frank, we will not appoint a planner or an architect immediately after the competition.

 

15. Are participants allowed to advertise their master plan ideas?
Not until the results are announced.

 

16. Is the competition for the current number of students in Universiti Malaya?
We don't anticipate the increase number of students. The ratio will change where more postgraduate students will be more than undergraduate students. It will be a different demography for postgraduate students. There will probably be no increase of undergraduate students but there has been a large community of research assistants in UM.

 

17. Why are there 2 winners?
The main idea is it is very difficult to say who is number one and who is number two. So we decided on best of two. There is no other specific reason.

 

18. What is the expectation for the infrastructure in Universiti Malaya in 10 to 20 years' time?
This is a difficult question, what we have before is we insist to look as a public university. In terms of expectation, students view UM as an old university. Feedback from student are important.

 

19. How can Universiti Malaya give back to the surroundings based on the value of the project?
Roughly, based on the 10 focus point, integration with the surrounding area focuses on not to obstruct within residential area. In terms of zoning, whatever you want to develop has to be within the boundaries. In terms of design, you may want to design within the parameters.

 

20. Who is eligible to participate in UM Master Plan Ideas Competition?

  1. Individual/group of Professional Architects registered with Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia (LAM)(Part III); or
  2. Individual/group of Professional Planners registered with Lembaga Perancang Bandar Malaysia
  3. Registered firm with LAM; or
  4. Registered firm with LPBM. 

Members of the secretariat and the jury nor partner, associate or employee ARE NOT eligible to compete or assist a competitor.Graduate members ARE NOT eligible to submit an entry without partnering with a certified LAM Professional Architect (Ar.) or a certified LBPM Professional Registered Planner.

 

21. Do all the team members have to be from the same entities?
No. All the team members need not be from the same entities.

 

22. Can corporate participants from different companies form a Team?
Yes. Corporate professionals from different companies can form a team together as long as the principle is a registered of LAM/LPBM/ILAM.

 

23. Can the team have a mix of professionals/entrepreneurs/other individuals?
Yes, the team can have any mix of participants as long as they meet the eligibility criteria as long as the principle is a registered of LAM/LPBM/ILAM.

 

24. What if a person gets registered as part of more than one team?
The person may do so as long as the person meets the eligibility criteria. The submission fee will be charged at each submission entry.

 

25. What is the registration fee for participation?
There registration fee is Ringgit Malaysia Three Hundred Ringgit (RM 300) for each entry.

 

26. How can I get further information on the brief and site information?
The participants may attend the Q&A Briefing Session scheduled on 7 September 2016 at Mercu Alam Bina, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, 11.00 am (Registration starts from 10.00 am).

 

27. Can we consult non-team members such as professors or industry experts?
The interaction with non-team members should be arranged at participants’ own arrangement, expense and time and proper reference should be made to the same in the submitted design document.  Similarly, any other information source including published studies may be used, but the document submitted should contain proper references.