Award-Winning Group of ASEAN Design Professionals Tour Australia to Strengthen Ties and Facilitate Knowledge-Sharing

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading architects from the five winning firms in the inaugural BlueScope Steel Architectural Awards ASEAN travelled to Australia this April to celebrate design excellence, build capability and share learnings. The awards were run by NS BlueScope in partnership with esteemed industry bodies — the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage (ASA), Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia (IAI), the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City (UAH), Malaysia’s ACG Media Group and AustCham Singapore.

The delegation toured some of Australia’s most striking modern steelwork developments, including the Darling Quarter precinct and Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. In Brisbane, there were visits to Kangaroo Point Bridge, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre and UQ Sustainability Walk at the University of Queensland. A number of these projects use BlueScope steel products such as COLORBOND^® steel and XLERPLATE^® steel that delivered on durability, versatility and aesthetic appeal, helping great architectural designs come to live. The renowned architectural studios behind the projects led the group through the tour: fjcstudio in Sydney and Cox Architecture in Brisbane.

Richard Coulson, Chair of the Board of Directors, Cox Architecture and one of the judges of last year’s ASEAN awards, said it was a great opportunity to showcase Australian design while also learning from some of the leading architectural firms of ASEAN.

“It was fantastic to host the delegation from ASEAN and present some of the latest design processes and advanced steel solutions used in Australia. We enjoyed productive and engaging discussions with our colleagues from ASEAN and shared many ideas and philosophies.”

In addition to site visits and dialogues with leading practices, the delegation also attended the Australian Architecture Conference 2025 at the Sydney Opera House. Here, they networked with colleagues from Australia and the wider global design community, attending presentations on topics from AI and decarbonising design to tall buildings and the future of urban centres.

Ar. Melvyn J Kanny, principal of MJ Kanny Architect in Malaysia, was among those on the visit, and said it would help kickstart stronger network building for design companies in ASEAN.

“This tour was the perfect opportunity to learn from the Australian and global architectural communities, and to share information on some of the great work happening in ASEAN. Our ‘Circle of Excellence in Steel Architectural Design’, which comprises the inaugural ASEAN awards winners will grow as future editions take place. It gives us the perfect foundation to build a strong cross-region community that can contribute more to the collective learning of our industry.”

Delegates on the trip included representatives from:

- Arkiskape Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia)
- MJ Kanny Architect (Malaysia)
- Razin Architects Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia)
- Ar. Naksit Wisetmora (Thailand)
- Studio Sifah (Thailand)

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