Bringing the wild into the city

Savannah ArchiNight 2019, in floral theme, brought the wild into the city

Savannah ArchiNight 2019 was organised by the UTAR Architecture Society (UAS) at The Glass House, Seputeh on 11 March 2019. It was an annual event for all Architecture students and alike to gather and celebrate the night.

The ArchiNight this year was organised by students from Studio Two, Three and Four. It was led by Tino Tia Nam Keng and Lee Ni from Studio Three. A total of 63 committee members was involved in the event that took seven months to prepare.

From right: Chee, Dr Tham, Ts Tan and Tino Tia during the opening ceremony

The opening ceremony for Savannah ArchiNight 2019 was officiated by Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science’s (LKC FES) Department of Architecture and Sustainable Design Head Ts Tan Kok Hong, LKC FES Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Dr Tham Mau Luen, event sponsor Chee Kai Meng and Organising Chairperson Tino TiaNam Keng. Also present at the event were Lecturer-cum-Advisor of UAS Jeremy Tew Bun Teck, event sponsors of Marimari Printing and Rekaphosis Interior Design and students.

Emcees setting tones to warm up the enchanting evening

Hearty laughter in the evening

Studio Three members letting down their hair

The festive night teemed with various performances, hearty laughter and joyful jubilation of Architecture students. Tino Tia expressed his appreciation to all and said, “From the planning of venue to the programme flow of the night, every one of the 62 committee members has coordinated their part in enacting the event. I would like to thank our fellow students, lecturers and sponsors for supporting our event. Also,I would like to especially thank the leaders and team members who have been consistently giving their best effort in making this event possible.”

Dance performance by UTAR Dance Club

Music performance by ‘Pipers’

Singing performance by 'No Name Club'

Solo by Architecture student from Studio 2 Chrislynn Lau

“The event was simply amazing. It was further brought to life by the Programme Department with various performances and coordination between many other departments. The performances, which translated and captured the essence of a tropical themed night, were made possible by the committees, performers, guests, fellow Architecture students and the crew from UTAR Dance Club. Although, there were some hiccups, the Savannah crew managed to effectively iron out and keep the night going smoothly,” said Savannah ArchiNight Programme HOD Daniel Chia Jun Xin.

Savannah ArchiNight Public Access Team HOD Ethan Lim Song Liang commented, “It was a fantastic night, especially the ambience emitted by the sound system and the lighting, added with an amazing playlist. The programme flow was also very smooth. The performances were outstanding and filled with beautiful vocals and touching drama. I really enjoyed the moment.”

Crowding for joy and fun

Dazzling lighting that thrilled the evening

“The people did not only enjoy the performances and the wonderful decorations, but they also could not keep away from the delicious buffet. There were ample of foods, desserts and drinks. The catering planning was done by the F&B Department and the catering service was provided by OTK Catering. My thanks to many who have given suggestions and opinions for the catering plan. Although there were problems encountered during the preparation and during the event, it did not affect the progress of the event,” said Savannah Archinight Food and Beverage HOD Lai Sin Yi.

The event saw variety of foods for the participants

“Our duty as the sponsorship team was to seek out sponsorship and funds for the event. We managed to successfully convince two companies to fund our event. The sponsors were Mari Mari Sdn Bhd and Rekaphosis Interior Sdn Bhd. We, the sponsorship team, would like to thank the sponsorship companies. Without them, this event would have not reached the high note and the wonderful memories would have not been created,” said Sponsorship Team Assistant Elise Lim Zhi Wei.

Tino Tia presenting a token of appreciation to Dr Tham (left photo, right) and Chee (right photo, right), while Secretary of Savannah ArchiNight Rebecca Hiu (most left) looks on

Event Sponsors from Marimari Printing

“The photography team had conducted test run to produce amazing self-portraits, aesthetic visuals and videos since 2018. We were out on locations to do trial runs several times in order to perfect the visual effects we were trying to emanate in pictures and videos, all to match the theme of Savannah 2019. The photography team also stood by throughout the event to capture the event performances, people and more. We even had Polaroid pictures for the participants to commemorate the wonderful evening,” said Photography team Assistant Maeson Chong Wai Xuan.

“The logistics Department were comprised of seven members. Before the event, we held meetings to discuss responsibilities, event location and logistic transportation to move goods to the venue. Along the way, we developed good communication skills. During the event, we carried props, arranged furnishings and worked backstage as crews to ensure the whole performance ran smoothly. After the event, we cleared the venue with some help from other departments. We were very glad to see our hard work and sweat paid off,” said Savannah ArchiNight Logistic team HOD Fernando Ng Song En, adding that it was a very good opportunity and portal to learn and grow.

During the stage preparation

Amazing photobooth

“University is more than a paper that provides credentials for career advancement. It is not all about being book-smart. In the journey of pursuing tertiary knowledge, the experience gained at the university teaches us invaluable life lessons through participation in various student activities,” said Chen Jo-Ey, Savannah ArchiNight Publicity team HOD.

She added, “Throughout the event planning, all of us faced not just financial constraints, but also public relations and a few bones of contention between the team players. However, with full commitment and cooperation, we eventually overcame the challenges hand in hand and had the event accomplished. Just as the Chinese proverb says, ‘one minute’s brilliant performance on the stage is attributed to ten years of practice under the stage.’ It might not be the best event ever, but it was hard-fought. Don’t let your interesting college life fade-away from merely immersing into books alone.”

“We did our best for the editing stuff, like posters, videos, invitation card and more. I could say, the outcome is just great. Also, thanks to the other departments who worked together with us, leading us towards greater achievement. Savannah did make us better. Thank you,” said Kevin Sia Pik Hao, HOD of the Editorial team.

“The Deco department is formed by 16 of us. Everyone had put in their best effort for the night. I was happy to see people taking photos with the decorations. During the installation phase, we had a really short time, but with teamwork, everything was done well. Felt great working with all the deco team members. Thank you!” said Edward Ding Meng Jun, HOD of Deco Department.

The night ended with a great atmosphere and music. The participants had the chance to release their wild side under the light effects with big smiles on their faces.