Curriculum Vitae

DR. NAJAH BINTI MD ALWI

Senior Lecturer
  • Department of Architecture
    Faculty of Built Environment
  • najah.alwi
  • 0379676899

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • SUSTAINABLE AND GREEN ARCHITECTURE (INCLUDING BUILDING AND ENERGY PERFORMANCE, GREEN BUILDING, BUILDING INTEGRATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES, ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOUR, ENVIRONMENTAL NARRATIVE, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY, CLIMATE CHANGE AND RESILIENCY, SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, SMART CITIES, ECO-CITIES, RESILIENT CITIES AND FUTURE CITIES)
    Applied Science And Technology, Architecture, Specialist Topics In Architecture
  • PSYCHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR IN ARCHITECTURE (INCLUDING AGEING CULTURE AND HOUSING, CHILD-FRIENDLY ARCHITECTURE, ARCHITECTURE RITUALS, , ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION, ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION, PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE, ARCHITECTURE AND WELL-BEING AND CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AND TRANSITION)
    Applied Science And Technology, Architecture, Specialist Topics In Architecture
  • BUILDING ASSESSMENT
    Applied Science And Technology, Architecture, Specialist Topics In Architecture
  • ARTS AND URBANISM IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
    Applied Science And Technology, Landscape Architecture, Specialist Topics In Landscape Architecture
  • GREEN TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
    Environment Sustainability, Conservation And Replacement
  • RESILIENT RURAL AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
    Economic Empowerment, Economic Equity

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION

  • Dip.Arch (LAM & RIBA Part 1), (Architecture)
    Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
  • M.Arch (Sustainable Design), (Architecture)
    University of Auckland
  • DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, (Architecture)
    University of Nottingham
  • B.Arch (RIBA PART II), (Architecture)
    Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

MEMBERSHIPS

  • ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS, MEMBER
    2025 to 2025 (International)
  • LEMBAGA ARKITEK MALAYSIA, MEMBER
    2025 to 2025 (National)
  • PERTUBUHAN ARKITEK MALAYSIA, MEMBER
    2025 to 2025 (National)
  • MALAYSIA GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL, MEMBER
    2025 to 2025 (National)
  • EASTERN REGIONAL ORGANISATION FOR PLANNING AND HOUSING, BOARD MEMBER
    2024 to 2025 (International)
  • GRADUATE ARCHITECT, MEMBER
    2024 to 2025 (National)
  • CERTIFIED GREEN BUILDING INDEX FACILITATOR, MEMBER
    2024 to 2024 (National)
  • GRADUATE ARCHITECT, MEMBER
    2024 to 2024 (National)
  • ACADEMIC MEMBER MALAYSIAN GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL, COMMITTEE MEMBER
    2024 to 2024 (National)
  • ESG COMMITEE, MEMBER
    2023 to 2024 (National)
  • GRADUATE ARCHITECT (PAM), COMMITTEE MEMBER
    2023 to 2023 (National)
  • GRADUATE ARCHITECT (LAM PART II), MEMBER
    2023 to 2023 (National)
  • ELECTED NON CORPORATE COUNCIL MEMBER FOR PERTUBUHAN ARCHITECT MALAYSIA, BOARD MEMBER
    2021 to 2022 (National)

AWARD AND STEWARDSHIP

  • Architect Fellowship as Speaker for Manifesto Relay Copenhagen Architecture Festival 2023
    2023, Union of International Architects,  (International)
  • Education Innovation Award 2022 : A SPACE TO GROW OLD
    2022, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, International
  • Best Presenter of Paper
    2022, Taylor's University, International
  • EDUCATION INNOVATION 2021: LEMBAH SIREH WEB APP
    2021, CARNIVAL RESEARCH & INNOVATION, National
  • EDUCATION INNOVATION AWARD 2021: SONATA : MOBILISED ARCHITECTONIC STREET FURNITURE WITH MULTI- TRANSFORMATION
    2021, CARNIVAL RESEARCH & INNOVATION, UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA KELANTAN, National

RESEARCH INTEREST

  • Green Building & Sustainability (Materials, Building Construction, Land Use)
  • Post Occupancy Evaluation (BIPV, automation, smart systems)
  • Social Spaces (Culture, Human experience, Third space, Land Use)
  • Study of sensory spaces (POE, Environmental psychology, the play of light, or the ambient soundscape)

RESEARCH PROJECT

National
  1. 2024 - 2026, UNIVERSITI MALAYA RESEARCH EXCELLENCE GRANT (UMREG)
    The Role of Spatial Configuration on the Sense of Belonging in Malaysian Public Secondary School Projects ( Co-Researcher)
  2. 2025 - 2026, UM Living Labs @ UMSDC
    LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF UNIVERSITI MALAYA CAMPUS TOWARDS NET ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS ( Co-Researcher)
  3. 2025 - 2026, UM Living Labs @ UMSDC
    LEARNING AND MAKING CARBON VISIBLE: A LIVING LAB PILOT OF MERCU ALAM BINA'S OPERATIONAL AND WHOLE-LIFE CARBON TOWARDS UM?S NET ZERO VISION ( Principal Investigator(PI))
  4. 2025 - 2026, UM Living Labs @ UMSDC
    SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF A CIRCULAR CAMPUS: INTEGRATED WASTE COLLECTION AND DATA MANAGEMENT AT UNIVERSITI MALAYA ( Co-Researcher)
  5. 2024 - 2025, UM Living Labs @ UMSDC
    Green Infrastructure Networks: Designing Interconnected Urban Green Spaces For Enhanced Biodiversity Within Lingkungan Budi, Universiti Malaya ( Principal Investigator(PI))
  6. 2024 - 2025, UM Living Labs @ UMSDC
    Striving For Sustainable Campus : A Focus On Green Building Principles At Universiti Malaya ( Principal Investigator(PI))
  7. 2024 - 2025, UM Living Labs @ UMSDC
    Strategies For Balancing Heritage Authenticity And Sustainability Heritage Buildings In Um Upon Rehabilitation ( Principal Investigator(PI))
  8. 2024 - 2025, UM Living Labs @ UMSDC
    Balancing Heritage Preservation And Modern Architecture Through Design: Case Studies From Um's Historic Buildings ( Principal Investigator(PI))
  9. 2024 - 2025, RU Geran - UMCares
    "CREATICE CHAOS: DRAW, DESIGN, AND RECYCLE WITH FLAIR!" ( Principal Investigator(PI))
  10. 2024 - 2025, Government Agency
    Kajian Rangka Kerja Kitaran Ekonomi Di Malaysia ( Co-Researcher)
  11. 2020 - 2022, Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS)
    COMPARING POLICY INTERPRETATION OF LIVEABILITY WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE IN URBAN NEIGHBOURHOOD ( Co-Researcher)
  12. 2020 - 2022, UMK Fundamental Grant
    Toward Resilient School Building: Conceptual Design ( Principal Investigator(PI))
  13. 2020 - 2021, Covid Special Grant UMK C19SG
    Kajian rekaletak Ruang- ruang sementara khusus Covid-19 terhadap kesiapsiagaan penerimaan penyakit berjangkit ( Co-Researcher)

PAPER PRESENTED

INVITED SPEAKER
  1. Experiences working in International Practices, Graduate Architects Teh Tarik Session, Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (National) (25 May 2024 - 25 May 2024)
  2. International Manifesto Relay - Towards an Indigenous Guardianship of Resources, World Architecture Congress 2023, Union of Architects (UIA) (International) (02 Jul 2023 - 06 Jul 2023)
  3. What does Climate Justice looks like?, Innovate for Cities, UN Habitat & Eastern Regional Organisation for Human Settlement (EAROPH) (International) (22 Sep 2021 - 24 Sep 2021)
  4. Climatic adaptation: Design and Simulation in the Tropics , Design and Simulations in the Tropics, University of Costa Rica (International) (31 May 2021 - 01 Jun 2021)
ORAL PRESENTER
  1. From Classroom to Community: Empowering Year 2 Architecture Students as SDGs Champions , MySDG Conference 2024 in Sarawak: Building Resilience: From Beneficiaries to SDGs Champion., SDG ACADEMY (International) (11 Oct 2024 - 13 Oct 2024)
  2. Energy transitioning school buildings in Peninsula Malaysia: A case study on the potential of photovoltaic power, 4th International Symposium on Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (International) (03 Oct 2022 - 04 Oct 2022)
  3. Surveying the Urban Mundane: the unconventional everydayness in public spaces of Jakarta City, 5th ISPA Biennial Conference "Public Space: the Real and the Ideal", ETH Zurich, Newcastle University, Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg, Clemson University, and others. (International) (02 Jul 2021 - 05 Jul 2021)
POSTER PRESENTER
  1. Towards-an-indigenous-guardianship-of-resources, World Architecture Congress, Union of Architecture (International) (04 Jul 2023 - 07 Jul 2023)

ACADEMIC/ PROF. SERVICES

Evaluation
  1. (2025) Final Presentation Year One Taylor's Univeristy, National, (External Assessor)
  2. (2025) External Panel for Interim Crit, National, (External Assessor)
  3. (2025) World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies, International, (Reviewer)
  4. (2025) Ahli Editorial Board, National, (Reviewer)
  5. (2024) The Home and The World: Socio-spatial Belongings in Indian Picturebooks, International, (Reviewer)
  6. (2024) Role of Pocket Parks in Preserving The Cultural Values of Urban Environment., International, (Reviewer)
  7. (2024) Assessment for Final Year Project University Tun Hussein Onn, National, (External Examiner)
  8. (2023) Design Studio Semester 5 for Bachelor's of Architecture in Taylor's University, International, (External Assessor)
  9. (2023) Adaptation of Machine Learning in Information and Communication Technology (ict) Project Planning: a Bibliometric Analysis Using Bibliometric R-tool, International, (Reviewer)
  10. (2023) Utilisation of Cost-effective Design Alternatives for Optimal Lecture Rooms Acoustic Performance, International, (Reviewer)
  11. (2023) Sustainable Green Building Initiatives in Malaysia: Issues in Implementation, International, (Reviewer)
Contribution to external organisation
  1. (2025) Collaborator Summer Tropical Programme USM- Konstanz Vertical Village, International, (Research Fellow/Associate)
  2. (2024) Working Abroad in Architectural Practices Around The World, National, (Resource Person)
Contribution to event
  1. (2025) Rapporteur for Townhall, National, (Event Coordinator)
  2. (2024) Jury for Asean Postgraduate Conference 2024, National, (Panelist/Moderator)
  3. (2023) Main Rapporteur, International, (Panelist/Moderator)
Media appearance
  1. (2023) Cakap Cakap Graduate Architect in Council Election 2023, National, (Panelist/Moderator)

SUPERVISION

Under Graduate Students
  1. (2024) Striving for a Sustainable Campus: A Focus on Green Building Principles at Universiti Malaya
  2. (2024) Strategies for Balancing Heritage Authenticity and Sustainability Heritage Buildings in UM Upon Rehabilitation
  3. (2024) Green Infrastructure Networks: Designing Interconnected Urban Green Spaces for Enhanced Biodiversity Within Lingkungan Budi, Universiti Malaya
  4. (2024) Balancing Heritage Preservation and Modern Architecture Through Design: Case Studies from UM's Historic Buildings
  5. (2023) Mental Wellbeing of Students: Improving the social spaces in students accommodation to enhance the study experience on UM Campus.
Postgraduate Student
PhD/ Doctoral
  1. (2024) CULTIVATING HEALTHY HOMES: AN IN- DEPTH ANALYSIS OF ELEMENTS IN RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTS, Siti Nuratirah binti Che Mohd Nasir (Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (unisza))
  2. (2024) EXPLORING FLEXIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IN CHINA: INNOVATIONS FOR SMART, GREEN BUILDING AND LOW-CARBON SOLUTIONS, ZHANG JIN
  3. (2024) FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGNING LIVABLE OUTDOOR SPACES IN A NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE, MUSCAT AS CASE STUDY, KHALOOD SAIF HAMED AL DANQI
  4. (2024) OPTIMIZING WINDOW AREA TO VERTICAL GREENING SYSTEMS RATIO FOR BIOFACADE APPLICATIONS IN TROPICAL ENVIRONMENTS, MD FAHAD ISLAM
  5. (2024) REVIVING DAMAGED SETTLEMENTS: DEVELOPING RESILIENCE-SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS USING BIM (BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING), HADEEL MAHER MOHAMMAD ARIF JIBRINI
  6. (2024) AI IMPACTS ON OPTIMUM ARCHITECTURE EDUCATION IN KUALA LUMPUR, SEYED ABOUZAR KHAZRAEI AFZALI
  7. (2022) Mediating Impact of Biophilic Architecture in exploring the relationship between Human Nature Development (ND) and Community Interaction, Human Social Resilience (HSR): Empirical Evidence from Urban Sector of Karachi, Quratul Ain (Universiti Malaysia Kelantan)
  8. (2021) Healthy Home using an intelligent system to enhance living, Siti Nuratirah binti Che Mohd Nasir (Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (unisza))

TEACHING

Master
  1. (2024) BQD7010 - Architectural Design Thesis Lab I
  2. (2024) BQD7015 - Architectural Design Thesis Lab Ii
  3. (2024) BQD7017 - Architectural Research Ii
Bachelor
  1. (2025) BIA3027 - Working Drawing
  2. (2024) BIA1020 - Architectural Design Studio I
  3. (2024) BIA2025 - Architectural Design Studio Iv
  4. (2024) BIA3027 - Working Drawing
  5. (2023) BIA2020 - Architectural Design Studio III

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ACTIVITIES

  • Contribution as Construction Expert for Putrajaya Net Carbon Zero Action Building Plan 2035, (21 Apr 2025 - 21 Apr 2025) (National)
  • Council Member of Earoph Malaysia, (24 Jul 2024 - 31 Jan 2026) (National)
  • Moderating Discussion Between Experts and New Graduates On Working Possibilities in Architecture Overseas, (25 May 2024 - 25 May 2024) (National)