Mostafa Marzouk’s ‘Murni’ design, which blends Malaysia’s climate by harvesting, filtering, and using rainfall as a water source, won the inaugural Global Capstone Design Competition, Public Facilities Design Project Based on Local Culture Award.​

Jeonju University (JJU) and Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) joined forces for the first time to host the inaugural Global Capstone Design Competition 2023 to promote innovation and cultural exchange.

This unique project brought together Korean and Malaysian universities to design product concepts inspired by Korean and Malaysian culture, competing for the Public Facilities Design Project Based on Local Culture Award.

Prof. Song Joo of JJU’s Department of Industrial Design spearheaded this initiative, with support from the Korean Ministry of Education, the Leaders in Industry-University Cooperation (LINC 3.0) programme, and the Korea Research Foundation.

Prof. Song collaborated with Mr. Liew Yong Kian from APU School of Media, Art and Design (SoMAD) to finalise this project, which took place online from September to December 2023.

Prof. Song and Mr. Liew were present at the online competition, explaining to participants the cultural elements of both countries, such as how food, architecture, dance, and craft are synthesised to inspire the product and public facility design.

The competition received over 50 design entries from various universities, including JJU, the Korean Culture-based Industrial Design Centre (KCID), the International Design School for Advanced Studies (IDAS), Hongik University, and APU.

Ten shortlisted projects were invited to present to a panel of judges, which included distinguished Prof. Kee-Hong Song, National University of Singapore (NUS); Ken Koo, President of the Asia Red Dot Design Award; and J.H. Namgung of the Jeonbuk Design Centre in Korea.

International and local students who took part in this competition, such as students from Egypt like Mostafa Elsayed Marzouk, had the chance to engage in the local culture and collaborate inclusively with the community to understand their needs.

Mostafa Elsayed, an APU Master of Arts in Design Innovation Management student, created ‘Murni’ (meaning ‘clean’ in Malay), inspired by a clear demand for cleaner public washroom.

It is not just a washroom but an overview of Malaysian culture with a design using rainwater harvested and filtered from nature as a sustainable gesture to the environment.

The design was covered with a pattern of Hibiscus blossoms and beautiful traditional Malay wood carvings as its aesthetic appeal, combines existing technology with innovation to create a self-cleaning public utility.

It is also about inclusive design activity, cocreation with the community, and emphasising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) Goal 11 and Goal 6 — make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable (Goal 11), as well as the importance of clean water and sanitation (Goal 6).

“This project deepened my appreciation for infusing culture into design,” said Mostafa and added “The competition is more than just awards and recognition; it creates a unique opportunity to network with international design communities.”

The project outcome is closely supervised and mentored by a Certified Industrial Designer (CIDe) Lecturer and Mentor Mr. Eekang Ooi.

“Mostafa’s journey is about more than just winning the competition, but it is about learning from the international and distinguished panel of judges,” he said.

Besides Mostafa, the judges also awarded honourable mentions to APU Industrial Design students Teh Yu Ting and Chan Jia Er, who are currently finishing their internships.