Penfurnex victory highlights the importance of eco-friendliness

Nurtured thoughtfully with the industry-driven syllabus, The One Academy students are always a force to be reckoned with in the global creative arena. Recently, three talented Interior Design students have continued this winning streak by seizing the grand prize of the Penfurnex Interior Design Competition, with their elegant residential rendering featuring eco-friendly designs.

Held in conjunction with the Penang Furniture Exhibition, the brief issued by the organiser stated that participants' artworks should incorporate the 5R Eco-friendly principles, namely Restore, Respect, Reduce, Reuse and Recover. To fulfill this goal, Juliana Chan Ying Quan, Karen Koi Sheue Tyug and Tee Yan Ling of The One Academy decided to maximise the use of eco-friendly materials, as well as DIY (Do-It-Yourself) furniture whenever necessary.

In line with the conceptual theme of Minimalism, no tiles were paved in the living room; instead, residents would be welcome by a bare concrete floor. Whenever possible, wood was chosen as the material for the fixtures and fittings. In addition, due to their commitment to public health, they also avoided the use of toxic paints. Aptly titled the project 'Step into the nature', the students wished the apartment could be a retreat for contemporary urbanites to unwind and get rid of their stress and relax after a long and hectic day.

When time was really running short, they toyed with the idea of giving up. However, once recalled of the amount of effort they have poured into the project over the past couple of months, they decided to stand firm and be persistent in this endeavour. Trained by experienced lecturers through industry-driven syllabus in The One Academy, the students are well-prepared to embraces challenges head-on!

As usual, the journey to success is lined with many obstacles. However, with adequate training under The One Academy’s practical coaching approach, the brilliant students were extremely resourceful and work as a team diligently. For instance, since they hadn’t learn about the process of rendering images using the 3D Max software in class, they decided to explore it themselves in order to produce an impressive rendering for their design. 

All in all, it was estimated that their design would require a cost of about 90 thousand Ringgits to be implemented, inclusive of material and labour, which is safely within the budgetary limit of a hundred thousand Ringgits as stipulated in the brief. As envisaged by Dr. Eric Leong, the Head of Interior Design Department, The One Academy, regular exposure to a wide array of knowledge, including materials and design techniques have enabled the students to fulfill the demands of the clients in an effective manner.

Certainly, it was a very joyous occasion for the winning trio. According to Juliana, teamwork was the single most important quality needed to succeed in any venture. Yan Ling added that hardwork and good time management skills were also vital in turning their effort fruitful. With efficient communication, it was easier for the team members to arrive at consensus during the decision making too. This marvellous feat clearly testifies The One Academy’s tagline of ‘No empty promises, just world class results’. Kudos to the ingenious and steadfast winners!