The Philippine School for the Deaf (PSD), the pioneer and sole government-owned institution for the deaf in the country, is under renovation through an initiative of 14 student-artists.

Dubbed “Pandama: Resonating with Silence,” after the Filipino word for senses, the project aims to transform the dining hall of the new PSD dormitory into a multipurpose environment for the deaf.

The 89.1-square-meter space will be refurbished into a modular learning, dining and lounging area that accommodates around 50 PSD students. The space will be equipped with specialized acoustic and lighting systems that are translated throughout a curvilinear silhouette reflected around the area.

Lessen diversions

It will likewise feature sound-absorbing materials such as acoustic panels, soft and padded furniture pieces, and curved edges to lessen the noise and vibrational diversions.

The outreach task is spearheaded by young innovators from the Interior Design Program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde who applied principles from the Deafspace Design Guidelines by Gallaudet University, a private and premier US-based institution dedicated for the deaf and hard-of-hearing learners.

The construction is set to be completed by March.