pihak balay
Fall 2020 Interior Design MFA Studio 1
Instructors: Alfred Zollinger, Shani Peters
Pihak Balay means “Our Other Home” in Ilonggo, my Filipino home language. This project centers around my grandparents’ home and starts with transforming a private, idle parking area into a public cafe that gives opportunity to an often disconnected community. The long term goal is a transformation of the main house into a developmental disabilities center for my sister to extend her therapy practice to our hometown. Complimenting the clinic is a cafe that employs adult patients and encourages practice of life skills and engagement with the community. In the Philippines, people with developmental disabilities have limited opportunities outside of their home. The Pihak Balay Cafe welcomes people of all abilities to feel at home in my family's lush garden surrounded by traditional, natural materials.
