Tahanang Walang Hagdanan got themselves a brand new office courtesy of a group of graduating students from Benilde.
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With some of us currently dealing with finals and year-end exams, it is a time wading the waters knee-deep in notes, papers, readings, and more. As you stare at your computer screen waiting for inspiration to hit you, a part of you thinks that you could be spending your time better than something this boring. However, you have to also understand that what you learn and do in school isn’t just limited to the walls of the campus, because it can bring about real positive change in this world. Just take notes from these students from the College of Saint Benilde who used their degree to renovate a local PWD center’s main office into a space more fitting for their needs.
INTERIOR DESIGN FOR THE BETTER
Graduating students under the Bachelor of Science in Interior Design (BS-InD) program from De La Salle College of Saint Benilde have to go through INTDXHI/INDEXHI (Interior Design Exhibit), the capstone course of the program that puts what the students have learned from their time in school to practical projects that help their local community. For the graduating class of 2022, they’re using their skills to help a community that is often underserved in public spaces, the Persons With Disabilities (PWD) Community. Specifically, they aim to create proper design solutions to enhance the lifestyle of the community members. To that end, they named their project AKAY: Reinforcing Inclusivity Within the PWD Community by Implementing a Sustainable, Adequate, and Borderless Interior Environment.
This is why they decided to partner up with Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Inc. located in Cainta, Rizal. Since 1973, the non-profit organization has been working to give those in the PWD community a safe space to lead proper lives and have access to proper livelihoods. The students chose to rework and renovate their main office. In particular, they wanted to demonstrate the importance of interior design by creating spaces that maximize the potential of people, specifically for wheelchair users and PWDs, allowing them to discover limitless possibilities and expand their opportunities.
NEW SPACE FOR 2022
From October to November 2022, the students were hard at work applying their interior design skills to the project. And after a month, they were able to turn over the project to the community and deliver an office that got a much-needed facelift. The result is a brand-new space tailor-made to cater to the needs of those in wheelchairs and with other disabilities. It’s modern and sleek, yet practical and accessible. Meanwhile, a blue wall with the center’s mission on it adds a nice pop of color.
They created a universally designed office space that reinforces inclusivity and pushes the system toward a borderless environment, something that admittedly isn’t always seen in buildings around the Metro. Just in time for the Christmas season, Tahanang Walang Hagdanan got a new office.
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