Ar. Rushdina Ismail embarked on her architectural journey while still a student at University Technology Malaysia, delving into the field with several firms. Graduating in 2005, she honed her skills at established Malaysian firms such as TR Hamzah & Yeang and Arkitek MAA Sdn Bhd.

A year before establishing her Sole Proprietorship firm, she earned her Architect's license from Lembaga Akitek Malaysia and became a Corporate Member of Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia. Actively contributing to Society as a Council Member for Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (2023-2024) and co-Chairing committees like PAM-SCR Committee and Constitutional Review Committee, Task Force Team of Malaysian Standards(MS) Accessible Tourism ISO 21902:2021, a Member of United International Architect (Architecturé & Children) and KLAF :EDUCATE engagement with schools for JOY of Creating and Building for 100th years Architecture Celebration in Malaysia. Rushdina is dedicated to shaping the architectural landscape.

Rushdina is a proponent of BIM and sustainable development, with a focus on inclusive design for diverse communities, including those with disabilities. Renowned as an expert in Commercial-Tourism Architecture and an advocate for Neurodiversity Architecture, she brings innovation to her projects, often incorporating container-based designs that fuse tourism with sustainable living.

Her extensive experience spans various projects, from commercial and public buildings to private residences, both locally and internationally. Currently, she spearheads Multi-level Container Projects, aligning with her vision for sustainable development and futuristic living.

Beyond her architectural endeavours, Rushdina is an engaging public speaker, a social media influencer in architectural circles, and a source of inspiration for budding architects, offering valuable insights into ideation processes. Simultaneously, she shares her knowledge as a part-time lecturer, having taught at City University and presently at University Putra Malaysia for Master Students.

In her quest for effective communication, she has taken on Mandarin as her major language of study, with the aim of achieving HSK3 Level proficiency. Her multifaceted career reflects a passionate commitment to architecture, education, and the pursuit of excellence in sustainable design.

Living by the mantra;
'As an Architect, I carry the phrase - "Architect" as an Attitude and Creating people's attitude. Because architecture is the real behaviour that leading peoples towards the better life-style'

One person to recognise this and, more importantly, act on it, is Lucas Loo, who founded Sead Build and Sead Plant in 2017. Based in Ipoh, Malaysia, these impact enterprises were born of the urgent need to accelerate the built environment towards a sustainable future. While Sead Plant facilitates a bamboo supply chain that draws down carbon dioxide, restores degraded lands and empowers rural communities, Sead Build turns that bamboo into durable structural materials, storing the carbon in the bamboo indefinitely.

Loo’s bamboo journey started with a resort he developed fully out of bamboo more than eight years ago, where he worked with two Orang Asli (indigenous) villages around Hulu Langat, Selangor, to harvest bamboo for the use of construction. He then decided to focus fully on bamboo as a sustainable resource and started Sead.

Impact enterprise Sead Industries, which comprises Sead Build and Sead Plant, uses the renewable benefits of bamboo to tackle the sustainability crisis in the construction industry. Founded by Lucas Loo and Toh Hua-Jie, the company restores degraded land with bamboo agro-forestry, trains indigenous communities to become its bamboo harvesting stewards and turns the bamboo produced into building materials. Before this, Lucas ran a resort in Banting, Selangor that was constructed using bamboo.

Assoc. Prof (I) Ar Sarly Adre Sarkum is an architecture futurist, sustainability proponent and design activist. He founded the hybrid architectural design firm [SA]2 or Sarly Adre Sarkum Architecture Sdn Bhd which combines cutting edge architectural design solutions with extensive researched based explorative approach to solve challenging integrated design problems.

The firm has won several international competitions and represented the country in several in world class exhibitions. He is currently a Past President on Council in the Malaysia Green Building Council which is under the auspices of the World Green Building Council. He was also the Deputy President of Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia  (The Malaysian Institute of Architects) for 2017-2019. He currently is a GBI facilitator, previously was one of the accreditation panel for the GBI Green Rating Tool. He was the editor in chief for ‘Architecture Malaysia’ magazine which is the premier architecture journal for the Malaysian Institute of Architects. He holds 2 degrees in architecture, one from the University of Liverpool UK and the other from University of Science Malaysia. Currently he is the academic Advisor to the Masters of Green Architecture in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). UM has also appointed him as Assoc. Prof. (Industry) for the University. Currently he is managing and coordinating the 3 niche labs for the final year for the UM Master of Architecture Programme namely, Green & Sustainable Architecture Lab (GSAL), Urban & Community Architecture Lab (UCAL) and Heritage & Conservation Architecture Lab (HCAL). 

Hijjas was born in Singapore in 1936 before it achieved independence from Malaysia. He was training as a draughtsman before winning a scholarship to study in Australia, where he graduated as an architect and urban planner. Hijjas briefly worked as an architect and planner with Singapore’s Housing and Development Board before returning to Malaysia to teach at the MARA University of Technology, where he established The School of Art and Architecture and the first professional architectural-degree programme.

He later founded his own award-winning practice Hijjas Kasturi Associates Sdn Bhd—now known as Hijjas Architects & Planners, and run by his daughter Serina Hijjas. While officially retired, the octogenarian’s passion for architecture clearly hasn’t waned in the least, and he often starts his day sketching. He also guest-lectures at the institution he founded, works on occasional projects and remains a consultant for his old firm.

Hijjas Kasturi defined modern Malaysian architecture by imbuing modernism with cultural identity in his envisioning of buildings in post-independent Malaysia. Widely acknowledged as the father of Malaysian architecture, Hijjas is credited for some of the most iconic buildings in the country including the banking company Tabung Haji, and the Menara Maybank and Menara Telekom skyscrapers.

Azim graduated from Louisiana State University in 1987. He started work immediately with Jurubina Bertiga under Dato’ Baharuddin Kassim for 5 years and obtained his LAM practicing license in 1992. He immediately started ATSA Architects as a sole proprietor and in the year 1994, Zulqaisar Hamidin, a prolific architect joined to start ATSA Architects Sdn Bhd; a body corporate. In 2020 ATSA will be approximately 28 years old.

Azim and his firm’s design philosophy emphasizes on client requirements and user experience above the imposition of any particular design. Azims goal is to produce an award-winning design and to produce a structure that leaves a lasting impression on users and visitors. A design must also reflect the spirit of its time. Over the years, ATSA has won several awards over the years. Azim is also currently a member of PAM council member and has won several architectural awards on Architecture. Apart from architecture, Azim have written several books on Architecture and has documented more than 25 years of ATSA’s work, Mosque Architecture. As an avid Architect he will produce several other books in the future. Azim is also interested in setting up an Architectural Research as he feels that the profession lacks its own information and data that can be readily used to understand the direction of the profession. Apart of designing modern architectural structures Azim, has on interest in Architectural Conservation . He has conserved and preserved several traditional buildings.