In partnership with Benilde Interior Design’s Guild of Rising Interior Designers (GRID), and the SoFA Design Institute, Shell Philippines hosted the Shell Smart Design Competition on Oct. 26 where the clothing piece “Multi” by Joana Noreen Dicen and interior design entry “Mutualism” by Andrea Abad and Pauline Argem Paluero were hailed winners.
In the competition, finalists pitched sustainable and eco-friendly design solutions for the Shell office at the Solaris One building, Makati City with regards to space design and workwear.
Mr. Juno Arcenal, HR Manager of Shell Business Operations (SBO) Manila, started the event with his opening remarks, “We need to make sure that we feel [we’re] able to contribute to our powering progress journey. Whether which pillar it is, I think for us today it’s all about respecting nature and empowering lives.”
In celebration of Shell’s newest office, the competition had two categories: Interior Design, which were dedicated to Benilde INTDSI5 students with the guidance of Ms. Candice Arboleda; and Fashion Design, which were dedicated to students from SoFA Design Institute.
Under the Fashion Design category, each participant was given a set of donated clothes at random, and was tasked to design work from home and return-to-office clothing from the fabrics provided. The two finalists were the entries “Tagpi-tagpi” by Diana Lei Abanto and “Versa” by Gian Faith Digma.
Meanwhile, under the Interior Design category, the five finalists presented their ideas that focused on fostering a workplace that’s conducive to productivity, whilst using eco-friendly materials namely. They are “Padayon” by Faye Adriene De Leon and Selina Cu; “Moth Scale” by Alexandra Fajardo and Kay Andres; “Solace in Filipino Sensibilities” by Lucia Baltazar; “Cradle to Cradle” by Natalie Ongpeng and Kriz Tan; and “Pakisama” by Krizia Daniele Tan.
“Mutualism,” the winning entry for the interior design category, was inspired by the mutualistic nature of the Tubbataha reefs as it is a direct reflection of the diversity of culture in the Philippines. The interior of the project upholds employee well-being through space design as it keeps the Filipino identity alive through the furniture and materials used.
“I think the value of this experience is giving [students] more than just a platform for them to be able to see the practice beyond theories—beyond the four walls of the classroom to see tangible representations of what they do. And most importantly to interact with real people… To exercise the important part of the practice which is empathy and relating to the end-users,” Ms. Arboleda, mentor for Benilde Interior Design students, shared.
Shell gives utmost importance on their commitment to HSSE (Health, Safety, Security, and Environment) as it is the company’s driving force to improving its sustainability efforts, environmental awareness, and achieving Goal Zero: Shell’s ultimate approach to safety. The Goal Zero ambition strives to reduce risks and minimize impact of incidents, which is greatly emphasized in the values upheld by the finalists in their project pitches.
