IPOH, 27 April 2025 – The Altara Group from the Landscape Architecture Programme, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Perak Branch, won first place in the Bamboo Sculpture Competition held in conjunction with Earth Day 2025. Their winning sculpture, “Sanctuary in the Sky,” earned them the RM1,000 grand prize and was commended for its creative craftsmanship, environmental messaging, and integration of digital technology. The team—Mohamad Khairunajmi bin Mohamad Salleh, Amirul Afif bin Amirud-Din, and Muhammad Faris Aiman bin Muhammad Ozair—was supervised by Mr. Muhammad Falihin Jasmi.
Held at Eco Park 1, Bandar Seri Botani, Ipoh, the competition formed part of the Program Lestari Alam Sempena Hari Bumi 2025, organised by Pinji Botanics Sdn Bhd in collaboration with the Institute of Landscape Architecture Malaysia (ILAM), with logistical support from Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI). The installations took place on 25 and 26 April, with the award ceremony on 27 April officiated by Puan Norsham binti Abdul Latip, Deputy Secretary-General (Management) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES), on behalf of Minister YB Tuan Nik Azmi bin Nik Ahmad.
Adding to the celebration, another team from UiTM Perak secured third place in the same competition—demonstrating the institution’s commitment to excellence in environmental and landscape design. The Bamboo Sculpture Competition aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). The competition served as a platform to encourage students in higher education to explore environmental themes through innovative, nature-based design solutions.
Altara’s “Sanctuary in the Sky” featured an elevated birdhouse-inspired structure made entirely of bamboo—a renewable material that reflects sustainable design principles. The sculpture incorporated QR codes linking visitors to curated digital content about Malaysia’s diverse bird species, promoting awareness of biodiversity and education. This interactive element transformed the sculpture into a public engagement tool, fulfilling SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) objectives by blending art, ecology, and technology.
Earth Day 2025 in Ipoh fostered community involvement and environmental stewardship through collaboration between private, public, and academic sectors. The dual victories by UiTM Perak reflect the power of education-driven sustainability initiatives. By creatively addressing real-world environmental issues through design, these students demonstrated how landscape architecture can support national and global sustainability agendas while inspiring future generations.
By: Muhammad Falihin Jasmi