From July 29 to 31, the final round, award ceremony, and work exhibition of the 2026 Belt and Road International Student Competition on Digital Architectural Design were successfully held in Malaysia. More than 100 participants, including Dato’ Haji Abd. Hamid Hussain, Mayor of the Klang Royal City Council; CHEN Hongbing, Vice President of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA); Ir. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Ewe Hong Tat, President of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR); Ir. Prof. Dr. Bok-Min Goi, Vice President of UTAR; Johnson K.H Tee, Executive Director of Acmar Group; HU Yue, National Master of Engineering Survey and Design and Professor of BUCEA; as well as members of the judging panel, participating faculty members and students, and representatives of relevant organizations, attended the events.

Participants taking a group photo at the award ceremony

The competition was initiated by the Belt and Road Architectural University International Consortium (BRAUIC) and jointly organized by BUCEA, UTAR, and Acmar Group. With the theme “Think Beyond the City—Reimagine Klang’s Future”, the competition focused on the planning and design of a 32-acre strategic parcel in Bandar Baru Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Since its establishment in 2020, the competition has achieved three major breakthroughs in 2026: it was held overseas for the first time, with the final round taking place in Malaysia; it fully adopted an offline competition format, replacing online evaluation with on-site presentations and exhibitions; and it selected the 32-acre strategic parcel in Bandar Baru Klang as the site, guiding design outcomes to connect with real overseas development scenarios and promoting the transformation of creative ideas from drawings into practical applications.

Since its launch, the competition has received 115 entries from 31 universities across six countries and regions, including China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. After two rounds of rigorous evaluation, 10 teams advanced to the on-site final round. The shortlisted universities included Anhui Jianzhu University, BUCEA, UTAR, Shandong Jianzhu University, Tongji University and Xiamen University.

Dato' Haji Abd. Hamid Hussain, Mayor of the Klang Royal City Council, delivering a speech

Dato' Haji Abd. Hamid Hussain expressed his hope that the outcomes of the competition would go beyond academic showcases, highlighting Klang’s port culture and heritage as well as its multicultural characteristics, while contributing to the development of a sustainable, green and smart modern city.

Ir. Prof. Dato' Dr. Ewe Hong Tat, President of UTAR, delivering a speech

Ir. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Ewe Hong Tat noted that the theme of digital architectural design closely aligned with the needs of the times. In the face of global challenges such as urbanization, climate change and sustainable development, he encouraged all participating students that, regardless of whether they received awards, the spirit of embracing challenges and pursuing innovation itself represented a valuable achievement. The international friendships built through the competition would also become a valuable asset throughout their professional careers.

CHEN Hongbing, Vice President of BUCEA, delivering a speech

In his speech, CHEN Hongbing reviewed the full development journey of the competition over the past seven years and highlighted three core features of this year’s event. First, the competition focused on real-world challenges and contributed to urban development, with designs demonstrating practical feasibility for implementation and enabling the transformation of design concepts into practical applications. Second, it brought together international wisdom and promoted mutual learning among civilizations. Third, it was held overseas for the first time, marking the competition’s further expansion of international influence and serving as a vivid example of collaborative architectural education under the Belt and Road framework.

Johnson K.H Tee, JP, Executive Director of Acmar Group, delivering a speech

In his speech, Mr. Tee expressed appreciation to the judging panel for their professional evaluation, to UTAR and participating universities for contributing their expertise to shaping the future of cities, to BRAUIC for creating an international platform, and to the Klang Royal City Council for its support and guidance.

HU Yue delivering comments on the competition on behalf of the judging panel

Representing the judging panel, HU Yue delivered comments on the competition. He stated that all shortlisted teams presented high-quality design proposals, providing creative and practical solutions for the future development of Klang and fully demonstrating the professional competence and innovative vitality of contemporary architecture students.

Ir. Prof. Dr. Bok-Min Goi, Vice President of UTAR, presenting appointment letters to experts

The judging panel of this competition was chaired by HU Yue, National Master of Engineering Survey and Design and Professor of BUCEA. The panel members included (listed in alphabetical order by English name): Chew Weng Huat, Integrated City Planning Consultant for the World Bank’s National Urban Development Project in Indonesia; LIU Bo, Director of the Technical Department and Associate Professor of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, BUCEA; MA Qin, Deputy Chief Architect of China Architecture Design & Research Group and Deputy Director of the Second Institute of Architecture Design; Mok Chee Paan, Architect of Garis Architects Malaysia; Norhayati Md Lazim, Senior Planning Officer of the Klang Royal City Council; Tee Kim Hock, Johnson, JP, Executive Director of Acmar Group; and ZHAO Bin, Deputy Dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shandong Jianzhu University.

Dato’ Haji Abd. Hamid Hussain presenting awards to the Champion team

Gazang Lamu, representative of the Champion team, said in her speech that the entire process, from field investigation and proposal refinement to the final on-site presentation, not only enhanced the team’s professional capabilities but also deepened their understanding of cross-cultural communication.

CHEN Hongbing and Johnson K.H Tee, JP presenting awards to the First Runner-up teams

Ir. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Ewe Hong Tat presenting awards to the Second Runner-up teams

The awards were announced and presented in sequence, including the Honorable Mention, Merit Award, Second Runner-up, First Runner-up and Champion. The Champion Award was presented to Xiamen University’s work  “Royal Port Reborn: Vibrant Future City” . The First Runner-up Awards were presented to UTAR’s work  “Project ReKlang: The Thirsty City” and BUCEA’s work  “KLANG PULSE” . The Second Runner-up Awards were presented to Shandong Jianzhu University’s work  “Dual Veins Symbiosis” , Anhui Jianzhu University’s work  “HARBOUR OASIS KLANG” , BUCEA’s work  “Klang Co-living” , Tongji University’s work  “LINKS” , UTAR’s work  “Bandar Baru Klang: The Royal Pulse” , BUCEA’s work  “Vibrant Islands·Rainforest Harbour·Natural Voyager” , and Anhui Jianzhu University’s work  “Harbor Synergy Urban Renaissance” .

Johnson K.H Tee, JP presenting awards to the winners of the Outstanding Supervisor Award

Ir. Prof. Dr. Chang Yoong Choon, Dean of the Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering & Science (LKC FES) of UTAR, presenting the Best Organization Award to the winning organizations

CHEN Hongbing presenting the Outstanding Partner Award on behalf of BRAUIC to UTAR and Acmar Group

Guests visiting the work exhibition

Exhibition site

The final-round presentation was held in Bandar Baru Klang on July 30.

CHEN Hongbing, Vice President of BUCEA, delivering a speech

Participating teams presenting their projects

Signing ceremony

At the closing dinner of the competition, BUCEA and Acmar Group officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation. CHEN Hongbing and Dato’ Steven Tee, JP, Managing Director of Acmar Group, signed the document on behalf of the two parties, with Dato’ Haji Abd. Hamid Hussain, Mayor of the Klang Royal City Council; Johnson K.H Tee, JP, Executive Director of Acmar Group; and other guests witnessing the ceremony. The two parties will engage in extensive cooperation in areas including student internships and practical training, joint talent development, academic and personnel exchanges, joint research and innovation, and competition activities.

As a flagship event of BRAUIC, the competition has attracted more than 80 universities and over 5,000 faculty members and students from China and abroad since its establishment in 2020. It has received support from international organizations and institutions including UNESCO, the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), G-Global, Beijing International Peace Culture Foundation, Beijing Central Axis Protection Foundation, and China Silk Road Group.