The Architectural Association of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia ( or PSUTM), more commonly known as Architech, is the official association for students of architecture in UTM. It was formed in the 70s during the Kuala Lumpur days, and one of the earliest students association to be registered under Office of Students' Affair (HEMA, previously HEP), and is acknowledged as one of the most active students association in UTM. It resides within the Department of Architecture, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, under the Faculty of Built Environment.
Role
The main role of Architech is to manage the welfare of the UTM architecture students, organize events of various forms for the benefits of its members, to become the voice of the students in the school, and ultimately to ensure the advancement of non-academic qualities amongst its members.
Logo
The Architech logo was a result of a design competition held by the association in 1992, initiated by the president at the time, Zulhisham and Che Wan Ahmad Faizal. At the time, the name Architech have not come into being, and the logo competition was actually for PSUTM. The prize advertised was RM200, however the participations were poor and uninspiring (less than 20 entries), hence no winner was picked. Instead, Che Wan Ahmad Faizal then approached Fauzee Nasir to design a logo worthy for the association.
Using Aldus Freehand 2.0. on a classic Mac, Fauzee designed the logo, incorporating the name Architech for the first time. This was the first instance of the name in use. The logo and the name Architech was accepted by the general population, and remains in use until now.
Description
The logo utilizes simple and straightforward typography, using Times New Roman, beginning with a capital A and with italic type applied to the last four letters. The letters "Archi" will normally be black on white/light background, or white on black/dark background. The letters "tech" will normally be red, or gray in monochrome print.
Rights and Ownership
The Architech logo was designed and still owned by Fauzee Nasir until today. In a deal struck with the association, the association agreed not to pay the RM200 prize money to Fauzee Nasir as the design was not part of the competition. Hence, the designer retains ownership and rights to the logo. However, in a mutual agreement the designer gave right to use and reproduce the logo as long as it is not for commercial use. Any commercial use must have written permission from the designer.
Student Composition
Architech members consist of the entire population of architecture students in UTM, as students enrolled in the programme are automatically registered under it unless otherwise requested. Previously it also included students of landscape architecture until they formed their own students society in the late 1990s. When the diploma programme was shifted to UTM KL campus under the Razak School, the diploma students formed their own society called ARCO, which was intended as a sister society to Architech. However, due to logistics problem, especially since both are now under two different schools, ARCO became an independent body, but maintained close relations with Architech.
Structure
Top Committee
Architech is led by its president, democratically elected amongst its members for a term of one year. The president is assisted by the vice president, secretary and treasurer, all of which are democratically elected as well. Together, they will form their government, electing individuals of various skills into official positions where their skills could be harnessed for the benefit of the society. These positions evolve and vary throughout the years to meet any needs.
Some example of the positions over the years are: Technical - in charge of management of technical aspects, such as asset, equipment and facilities management. Graphics - in charge of spearheading the graphical movement and activities. Sports - in charge of sporting events, be it competitive or recreational. Insaniah - in charge of spiritual development amongst its members, normally for the Muslim community. Website - in charge of development and maintenance of Architech's online presence (Blog, Forum, Facebook etc.)
Publications
Architext
Architext was initiated as a periodical newsletter for Architech. It started around 1997, led by Roshida Majid and advised by Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi. Copies of the first two issues were lost; #3 was the earliest remaining copy today. It was distributed free bilingually in Bahasa Malaysia and English, featured several articles relating to architectural studies, listed events and activities, as well as a cartoon sketch.