A team composed of five students and two faculty members (above) from the USC Department of Architecture was invited to participate in the exhibits of the Philippine Pavilion in the ongoing 16th Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy.

USC is one of only four architecture schools in the Philippines who were invited to the Venice Biennale, which has the theme “The City Who Had Two Navels.” The invitation came from this year’s pavilion curator Edson Cabalfin.

The team is composed of Aldrein Abrio, Christopher Garcia, Arvin Lihaylihay, Immanuel Martinez, Lorenzo Pestano Jr., and Fretz Suralta under the guidance of their faculty coaches, architects Karl Aries Emerson Cabilao and Ryan Anthony Cabanlit. Formed late last year, the team was tasked to come up with a design proposal for a selected site in their home provinces that reflects the influences of colonialism and neo-liberalism.

The USC team chose the oldest street in the Philippines, Cebu’s very own Colon Street, as the site for their design challenge. The street not only holds plenty of historical significance especially from Cebu’s Spanish colonial past but also a certain kind of modern-day dynamism that enabled the street to sustain its urban life.

Their proposals are highlighted in the Philippine Pavilion through conceptual sketches and rendering as well as a concept model (above). These are showcased along with design ideas from other teams coming from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, De La Salle College of St. Benilde, and the University of the Philippines-Mindanao.

The students are currently in Venice to visit the Biennale, attend lecture events, and view their works that are displayed in the Philippine Pavilion. The Biennale opened last May 25, 2018 and will run until the last week of November.

Tags: Architecture