Carl Bryan Valdez, a senior student in the BS Interior Design program of the College of Home Economics, was awarded First Runner-Up in this year’s Estilo de Vida interior design competition. Estilo de Vida, touted as the country’s biggest inter-school interior design competition, challenged students to design for a Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU) clinic. The top three winning designs will be turned over to partner hospital beneficiaries located within Metro Manila. Carl was mentored by Ms. Divine G. Buyawe, an interior design faculty of the Department of Clothing, Textiles, and Interior Design.In his design which he called “Alpas,” Carl envisioned a space where patients could reclaim their sense of dignity and rediscover the beauty of life. The design incorporates elements of fun and interaction – like the sensory play wall feature – which are deemed essential for the emotional well-being of patients, especially children. Further in the heart of the space is an “empowerment corner,” which is an information corner for job, livelihood, and training opportunities – the promise of new beginnings. Finally, Carl developed a modular mix and match mural concept he called “The Shapes of ALPAS”: shapes that symbolize the different goals of the design (Renewal, Discovery, Breaking Free, Strength, Empowerment, Hope, Expression, and Healing). In this clinic, patients are not just recipients but active participants in their own recovery.
Congratulations Carl Valdez for this remarkable achievement!