Two wins at design competition

 Teams Future Light and Aces with their mock cheques

Teams Future Light and Aces took home first and second place at the Nehemiah Design Competition 2016 held at Monash University, Bandar Sunway on 18 October 2016. They also walked home with cash prizes worth RM5,000 and RM3,000 respectively.

Team advisor and Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) Department of Civil Engineering lecturer Assoc Prof Ir Dr Lee Min Lee said the students’ success were contributed by the use of practical, cost-effective and sustainable construction materials in their proposed solutions.

Team Future Light’s Lee (far right) explaining their project to Dato’ Sri Haji (second from left), accompanied by Dr Nehemiah (first from left) and Dato’ Dr Gue (second from right)

“Our proposed design uses a bamboo-piled mattress system. Bamboo piles were constructed and used to support embankments on soft soils. The bamboo will distribute the load uniformly across the soil, while helping to minimise the settlement of the soil,” said Future Light leader Tan Sheng Hua.

“We’ve gained extra practical knowledge in geotechnics which cannot be learnt in class. Also, the competition showed us the importance of research in prototype creation,” said Tan.

Besides Tan, the team consisted of Civil Engineering students Lee Yee Linn, Alice Lim Pei San, Yap Ying Qin, and Wong Huei Hann.

Meanwhile, Aces leader Liew Chi Hoe said, “Our project was to create an inexpensive foundation to support heavy embankments on deep and soft soils. We filled tyres with low density industrial waste such as plastic bags, plastic bottles and polystyrene together, creating an inexpensive foundation to distribute the load of the embankment and vehicles effectively.”

“After this competition, we have become more aware that construction on soft soils is an ongoing challenge for civil engineers and will be faced much more frequently in future. We are thankful to have the chance to expose ourselves to this problem early because it will better prepare us for future challenges,” said Liew.

The team also consisted of Civil Engineering students Lim Kah Kien and Yim Zen Wai.  

Team advisor and LKC FES Department of Civil Engineering Assoc Prof Ir Dr Low Kaw Sai said this competition gave an opportunity for them to see how an engineering project is carried out through the planning, design, implementation, control and management stages.

“Should the teams grasp and organise their facts correctly and subsequently presented them well to the judges, steadily and systematically using good simple English, I am confident that they would have left a deep impression among the judges,” he continued.

Also present were Minister of Works YB Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof, Nehemiah Reinforced Soil Sdn Bhd Founder Chairman Ir Dr Nehemiah Lee Chee Hai, G&P Professionals Group CEO Dato’ Ir Dr Gue See Sew, and Towoong Engineering & Construction Co Ltd, South Korea Chief R&D Centre Manager Lee Eun Ho.