UNG Students Design Adaptive Post-Disaster Housing for Global Competition

Gorontalo (ANTARA) – Two students from the Faculty of Engineering at Gorontalo State University (UNG) have received an international award for an adaptive post-disaster housing design in a global competition.

Professor Mohamad Amir Arham, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Alumni, said in Gorontalo on Tuesday that he was proud of the achievement by Muhammad Ikhsan, from the Building Architecture diploma programme, and Risky Husain, from the undergraduate Architecture programme.

“Their idea for adaptive and sustainable post-disaster housing has enabled them to take their work to the international design stage,” Amir said.

The pair won the award with their work, entitled KALA-REKA, in the Architecture & Landscape Design category of the 2026 Taiwan International Student Design Competition (TISDC).

TISDC is an international student design competition supported by the World Design Organization (WDO).

The international achievement was also the result of an ongoing process of developing their work.

Amir said their success showed that students from the UNG Faculty of Engineering’s Architecture programme could address disaster risks and sustainability through design ideas relevant to global challenges.

“KALA-REKA’s success in reaching the ranks of the winners is a source of pride. It shows that UNG students’ work can compete with other innovative designs internationally,” he said.

UNG Faculty of Engineering Dean Professor Sardi Salim said the achievement demonstrated the importance of integrating academic work, mentoring and student participation in competitions.

The pair’s achievement is expected to inspire other UNG students, particularly those in the Faculty of Engineering, to continue developing innovative ideas and to have the confidence to take their work to national and international stages.