Abigail Florence Taghoy, a B.S. Interior Design student, earned the Gold Prize for her entry “The Tuyok Pavilion,” which also won Best College/University and Best Mentor awards in the Nippon Pain Asia Young Designer Awards 2019.

The awarding ceremony was held last January 23, 2020 at the PETA Theater in Quezon City. IDr. Hermie Ray Oplado mentored Taghoy during the competition.

Also named as finalists for the competition are Givon Marc Lara for his entry “Darohan, an agricultural civic center” and Jason Clyde Miñoza for “Bugsay, a design module for Cebu BRT stations.”

Nippon Paint Asia Young Designer Awards aim to nurture young design talents from across Asia by setting a platform for these students to share their design ideas with professional designers, including architects and interior designers.

Taghoy’s Tuyok Pavilion received high commendations from the judges during the Oral Presentation held at UP Diliman on January 16, 2020, addressing this year’s competition theme, “Forward: A Sustainable Future.” Taghoy presented design solutions tackling the dying traditions of the Philippine weaving industry brought about by modernism; her design was aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Taghoy will be representing the Philippines and compete with other Gold Prize winners from 14 Asian countries in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in March 2020. She will also have the opportunity to be a part of an all-expense paid learning experience at Harvard University’s Design Discovery. Taghoy won Php50,000 and an internship at Jose Siao Ling and Associates, Santa Fe Interior Architecture SDN BHD, and Aidea Philippines, Inc.

In 2018, another B.S. Interior Design student, Jhessa Mae Romero, won the Silver Award for “Mobile Breastfeeding Van (MammoVan)” while four other students, namely Erick John Pasculado, Dexter Avenido, Hanzel Ceniza, and Cristiane Mae Macabare, were named finalists.

by Hermie Ray Oplado, Coordinator, Interior Design program

Tags: Interior Design, Architecture