Friday, November 28, 2025 – In an effort to enhance students’ insights into practical architecture, the Undergraduate Architecture Study Program at Universitas Gadjah Mada once again held its “Archilecture” guest lecture series, titled “Interactive Workshop: Ideation-Conception-Creation.” This session featured Malaysian architect Ar. IDr. Qhawarizmi Norhisham (PRBr.), Founder and Principal Architect of Qhawarizmi Architect, as well as Deputy Chairman of the Arcasia Committee on Young Architects (ACYA).
The session opened with an introduction and profile reading of the speaker by Odilia Renaningtyas Manifesty, S.T., MA(UD)., Ph.D., representing the study program and serving as the moderator. This was followed by the main presentation by Ar. IDr. Qhawarizmi Norhisham (PRBr.), who began by introducing his firm, Qhawarizmi Architect—founded alongside his wife—before delving into how architects narrate their ideas to clients to produce design solutions for emerging issues.
During this session, participants were invited to share experiences regarding their current studio projects, discussing the challenges they face and their search for solutions through architectural work. True to the workshop’s title, Qhawarizmi brought the lecture to life through interactive discussions and live brainstorming sessions on the whiteboard.
In the following session, students were encouraged to think critically and creatively in conceptualizing ideas and mastering effective presentation techniques for clients (or lecturers in an academic context). To make the material more relatable, Qhawarizmi utilized engaging analogies ranging from Iron Man and The Sims to Wipe Out. Additionally, participants were taught how to create matrices to map the character of an architectural work.
The guest lecture concluded with a Q&A session, a presentation of tokens of appreciation, and a group photo. These routine international collaborations support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education, as well as SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, by strengthening global networks between academics and practitioners.
Reported by Nisrina Amalia Paramanindya.