CapitaLand immersion programme inspires young architects
He was inspired after an exclusive tour of Raffles City's rooftop urban garden, and Pang Yong Ting, 15, decided he would try to start an urban farm in his school.
The Ahmad Ibrahim Secondarystudent, who plans to propose the idea to his teachers next year, said: "The urban farm can help feed the school in a sustainable way while bonding students."
Yong Ting was one of the four secondary school participants in the inaugural CapitaLand Young Architect Student Immersion Programme, which ended yesterday.
In the nine-day programme, the students learnt about architecture after visiting more than 10 CapitaLand properties in Singapore.
Apart from being mentored by design experts, the students also shared what they learnt with CapitaLand group chief corporate officer Tan Seng Chai and president and group chief executive Lim Ming Yan.
The four students were winners of the Young Architect Award for the CapitaLand Young Architect Programme (CLYAP).
CLYAP was a three-month programme that started in July where 70 secondary school students from low-income families proposed sustainable designs for community spaces.
Said Mr Lim: "Through the CLYAP and the immersion programme, CapitaLand hopes to empower and inspire the younger generation to play a role in shaping real estate of the future."
During the immersion programme, the four students were introduced to the company's residential development projects and learnt about the real estate development process.
Student participant Aqilah Zahidah Zanial said: "After realising that architecture projects can last for years, I learnt the importance of having perseverance, commitment and dedication in everything I do."
The 15-year-old from Madrasah Al-Arabiah Al-Islamiah added: "Teamwork and interpersonal skills are also essential for completing a complex real estate development project."
After the experience, Yong Ting now wants to become an interior designer.
He said: "I hope I can come back to CapitaLand to work as a project manager of a real estate project in the future."
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