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In Part 1 of the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles, Ar. Aisyah Razin discusses about the importance of mentors, getting the right opportunity and architectural company in the beginning, creating a high content value in yourself, having the right mindset and priorities, amongst other things.

Tune in to find out more and do give your opinion / feedback on what you think on this matter.

Bio: Ar. Aisyah Razin is an emerging Malaysian architect redefining leadership with clarity, conviction, and just the right amount of chaos. As Technical Director at TriArch Architects Sdn Bhd (formerly S&A Architects), she oversees a range of architectural works, with recent focus on high-rise residential developments - balancing design integrity with real-world complexity. A 2023 PAM 40under40 honouree, she’s also a part-time tutor at University of Malaya and a dedicated mentor to young architects through her growing #Part3Playbook series, where she shares unfiltered lessons from site to studio. Outside work, she pours her heart into resin art and motherhood, believing that creativity and care are both forms of architecture. For Aisyah, leadership isn’t about being perfect - it’s about being present, building with empathy, and lifting others as you climb.

Connect with Ar Aisyah: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aisyah-razin); #Part3Playbook; IG @miriamzahrartistry_shedazzles

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image contributed by Ar. Aisyah Razin

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A Teaser introduction on a conversation with Ar Aisyah Razin in the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles. (Part 1 & 2 - coming soon.)

Ar. Aisyah Razin is an emerging Malaysian architect redefining leadership with clarity, conviction, and just the right amount of chaos. As Technical Director at TriArch Architects Sdn Bhd (formerly S&A Architects), she oversees a range of architectural works, with recent focus on high-rise residential developments - balancing design integrity with real-world complexity. A 2023 PAM 40under40 honouree, she’s also a part-time tutor at University of Malaya and a dedicated mentor to young architects through her growing #Part3Playbook series, where she shares unfiltered lessons from site to studio. Outside work, she pours her heart into resin art and motherhood, believing that creativity and care are both forms of architecture. For Aisyah, leadership isn’t about being perfect - it’s about being present, building with empathy, and lifting others as you climb.

Connect with her: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aisyah-razin); #Part3Playbook; IG @miriamzahrartistry_shedazzles

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image of "resin art" contributed by Ar. Aisyah Razin

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This commentary is a reaction to Ar. Firadaus Khazis’s post where he stated that architecture graduates has problems with “not just plans, sections, elevations, but the ability to sketch out ideas, details, and solve problems on the spot”.

The root of the problem is in the lack of teaching and learning of the students in architecture school to acquire the right skills to work out design problems from the very beginning and how the architecture curriculum failed to uphold the basic foundation of learning to be an architect. Many factors contribute to this but this commentary focus on how FAUP (Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto) had managed to sustain the employability of their graduates even though they speak little English but mostly got employed in the UK due to their top notch architecture skills. Follow the blog here for more on FAUP (LINK)

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image of the sketches done by students at FAUP in 2015.

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Since March 2025, we have listened to the conversations with Kevin Mark Low on The Balanced Education Model, the MAW Review and did episodes on social media comments coming from the the architecture fraternity (with episodes on  the Dumbing Down of Architecture Education), so ... what have we learned so far?

We can't ignore the 'elephant in the room' and it is the "Failure in Teaching Architecture Design". Specifically the disappointment in not helping students and graduates build that confidence. 

Hence the topic is on 'Formalism, Relationships and Guidance' (based on the conversation with Kevin in Part 2 episode in March): how we are obsessed with prescribed forms in 'formalism'; how we are not really concern with asking the most important question on a project / thesis topic on 'relationships' and; how we are not giving the proper 'guidance' and letting others solve our problems instead. 

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image of the online design thesis studio session during MCO in 2020. 

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Based on a post by an architect asking for solutions to a "popular opinion" that he kept on hearing architects say, which is " how university graduates / architectural education don’t meet the standards / not up to par", and asking that those people who complains to offer solutions, this episode is on exactly that. The solution to the 'dumbing down of the architecture education' that is happening right now. 

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image of 'Kevin Mark Low giving a lecture' taken by Naziaty.

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Based on a post by a civil engineer / surveyor that was critical of young architects in particular, whom was called "make-up artists" that makes decisions for the the consultants team, based on marketing and pitching ideas with the client and not even gone to the site, had people commenting. Thus the case being made resulted in Naziaty Mohd Yaacob's commentary on what is one of the most glaring problem in architecture education - the lack of feeling and knowing what an architect need to do even in the first degree of architecture.

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image 'arguing in a meeting' taken from the internet.

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This is a criticism of the trend to oversimplify "architecture education" in my opinion, so that "design" (competencies) can be controlled. All architects and architectural designers need to be livid about this, and nothing else.

I saw a post that the UIA Education Committee wants to have a webinar called "Aligning Education Across Allied Built Environment Disciplines". I copied this quote:

This panel discussion seeks to explore innovative ways to bridge disciplinary boundaries without compromising the core competencies. 

"Integrating disciplines is not about diluting expertise but about enriching it. In a world of complex challenges, we must break silos, collaborate across boundaries, and reimagine education for sustainable, regenerative futures. The future of design lies in shared knowledge and collective innovation. Together, we can create environments that are both resilient and socially responsible."

This is 'old news' we have been noticing in the last decades. I made a critical comment in this podcast where my stance is:

Architecture may be straddling between Science and Art, but it is not a social science discipline. Architecture is an Arts and Humanities discipline, and it needs to be on its own or together in with other creative disciplines in an Art and Creative faculty or on it's own school / faculty and certainly not in the built environment faculty.

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image 'Bauhaus' taken from the internet.

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Expanding on the last episode on 

Let's focus on The MAW Review 2 and delve into the keywords found during the discussion on "awards", "heroes" and "pride". I added "managing egos" to the 'pride' discussion as an afterthought on what we need to do in the architecture industry and although it is not the main part of the conversation, much of it has to happen some how. A lot have been said about "awards", and I would like to comment further here, plus touching on heroes and mentors. However this is just an addendum (part 2) to the earlier podcast.

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image of the model done by Ar. Qhawarzimi (Taken by Naziaty) - although Kevin said he preferred that architects talk about manifestoes, you can still talk through explaining your building. 

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The Malaysian Architecture Week is still on-going and Naziaty Mohd Yaacob managed to catch up with what's happening by coming for the Borak Borak 04 session and listening to the speakers and the conversations after left me thinking that a small opening was created by the architecture fraternity to be more open and more critical on architecture practice and education. This is my review on the event and other thoughts.

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image of a person interested with Ar Dexter Koh's exhibition work. (Taken by Naziaty)

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The Concluding Part [Part 2] of the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles, Ar. Dr. Eleena Jamil explained the concept of a "glass ceiling" for the women architect in the Malaysian architecture industry that is predominantly male-dominated, and among other things gave suggestions on what institutions could do to provide the support needed for the women architect to better serve the industry.

More podcasts on this topic coming soon with interviews lined-up.

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image contributed by Eleena Jamil Architect. https://ej-architect.com/

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