Site Visit to Masjid Seribu Selawat, Pulau Pangkor

Staying true to its commitment to providing students with hands-on education, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia recently organised a three-day two-night site visit to the Masjid Seribu Selawat construction project on Pulau Pangkor. Masjid Seribu Selawat is the only mosque built 200 metres into the sea. Moreover, buildings constructed on an island and above the sea would typically require different construction strategies. As such, this site visit offered a unique opportunity for the university’s students to delve deeper into construction principles.

A total of 12 students in their second-year Quantity Surveying and Construction Project Management programmes went along on this site visit, which also served as part of the learning content for their Construction Technology 3 course about the different substructure and superstructure elements in a building.

Field trips are an important component of technical courses as they let students experience real-life scenarios that cannot be replicated in the classroom. Additionally, being on site allows them to appreciate and apply theories learnt in the classroom, and provides them with a more hands-on education experience.

Among others, this trip gave the students the opportunity to observe actual on-site construction and appreciate the construction technologies and cost implications of construction above sea water. They also got to see how a slump test was carried out, how materials were protected and stored and how reinforcement bars were laid, among others. Additionally, they were able to glean insights from the project team members who generously shared their experiences about dealing with stringent time and budget constraints while considering the various risk factors involved in such a project.

This experience not only equipped students with first-hand knowledge but also enhanced their learning process, facilitating effective knowledge transfer and ultimately piquing further interest in the course. Upon their return to the university, the students were then tasked with producing a report regarding the construction project as well as their site visit experience.

The field trip wasn’t all about work though, as the students were also rewarded with a visit to the beach on top of a snorkelling adventure. What’s more, this trip provided a wonderful opportunity for them to get to know one another better and form lasting bonds with each other.