TWO TEAMS of architecture juniors emerged as runners-up in the 2021 Design Blitz: DisPLAY competition on May 22.
Franchesca Evaristo and Renzz Irvin de la Torre won second place for their entry, “Play-mana” (Palaruang Mayaman sa Pamana), which proposed a “sustainable playground” that incorporates elements of Filipino culture and traditions.
De la Torre told the Varsitarian they focused on the nature of how Filipino children play.
“We were inspired by the notion of elevating the experience of children in playing… Along with this, we also wanted to put a great emphasis on instilling Filipino design so as to educate the youth,” Evaristo told the Varsitarian.
Xyruz Caluag, Danison de Guzman and JR Caberte, meanwhile, placed third with their interactive installation, “Baybayanihan.”
Caluag explained to the Varsitarian that “Baybayanihan” is a portmanteau of the Filipino word “baybay,” which means to walk through, and the Filipino custom “bayanihan.”
The contest tasked participants to design interactive installations that promote cultural awareness and national identity to Filipino children for the non-government organization Center of Art, New Ventures, and Sustainable Development (Canvas) Philippines.
Huan Sabrine and Josef Panganiban of the University of the Philippines in Diliman won first place with their entry “Dugtong.”
The winners were awarded cash prizes.
Both teams spent about a month and a half to finalize their designs.
The competition was organized by the Architectural Students’ Association of the Philippines – University of the Philippines Chapter, the largest organization in the UP College of Architecture.