1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
NAME : MAXIMILIAN LIM (0319604)
KOH SUNG JIE (0318912)
NG YI YANG (0319688)
ARVINDHAN BALASINGAM (0319753)
CHOW HONG DA (0318571)
COURSE CODE : PSY30203
TITLE : ASSIGNMENT 3- FINAL PROJECT & GROUP
PRESENTATION
LECTURER : MS. NORUL HIDAYAH
SUBMISSION DATE: 31st JANUARY 2015
2. INTRODUCTION
Our country, Malaysia is a multi-racial nation with diverse cultures because of our rich
history involving movement of people into Malaya, the name of Malaysia before acquiring its
independence. Due to its diverse ethnic groups, the possibilities of stereotyping are very high
as people have the tendency to judge a person by his/her race. Stereotypes can also be formed
without the racial element, such as sexism and regionalism; nonetheless racism is still the
most common factor. Therefore, we proposed an experimental restaurant that would resolve
stereotypes between races by concepts of contact-hypothesis and recategorisation.
THE MIX
The restaurant will be called The Mix. The name suits
the meaning of congregation of different races as well as
the combinations of different cuisines in the menu.
It will be a double-storey building with Colonial-Mughal
style exterior that resembles the famous Sultan Abdul
Samad Building at Dataran Merdeka. The reason for this
particular design is because it relates to our independence
which we had acquired through the cooperation between
the three political parties UMNO, MCA and MIC, which represents the Malays, Chinese and
Indians respectively, also what we know as Barisan Nasional. Hence, the design will be able
to remind the visitors about the feats we could achieve through unity.
Moreover, the interior design will be modern in order to not be biased to any racial group.
Furthermore, the minimalist element from modern design promotes simplicity and cleanliness
which can be beneficial to first impressions implied on the restaurant by customers.
4. UNIQUE COMPONENTS OF THE RESTAURANT
The Hallway
Before the visitors ascend to the second floor, they have to go through a glass hallway with
ingredients at the first floor. From this the guests will be able to see different ingredients used
by various Malaysian cultures. Contact-hypothesis is employed.
The Food
The food served will traditional Malaysian food. This will allow guests to taste other race’s
food and get to know their culture as the chef in the middle might be telling them about it.
The chefs will be cooking before them to let them see how the food is cooked. Visitors will
be informed of the uniqueness of each race and learn to appreciate more of it. Contact-
hypothesis is employed.
5. The Table
The round tables in the restaurant will be the main
means of eliminating stereotypes. The Circle
symbolises unity and harmony, while in this
context means equality in the sense of, similar to
the Knights of the Round Table, every person
regardless of character has equal status on the
table. Since the table will be fairly large, it will be
able to provide 12 seats; hence more than a group of customers can be seated in a single table.
Therefore the customers will have opportunities to interact with other customers, potentially
with other races. Recategorisation is employed.
The Displays
The restaurant will partially function as an art
gallery to show works of art created by local
artists and craftsmen from all races. This will
convince the visitors that every person is still
a human being regardless of their race and all
of us are equally capable of achieving goals. Contact-hypothesis is employed.
CONCLUSION
To sum it all up, The Mix would have a great potential for harmony among the citizens of
Malaysia by using food, something that we all love. From its design to its food, The Mix will
be able to reduce stereotyping by introducing culture and educating respect towards other
ethnic groups.
