Designing Through the Eyes of a Child

Published November 6, 2024

Iyah was only five when she first visited the Philippine Children’s Medical Center—a visit that became a core memory. This experience would later inspire her to create a children’s specialty hospital which also doubles as a school.

Batangas State University Architecture student Alleyah “Iyah” Mae Arzobal wanted to design more children-centric facilities in the country. “I wanted my undergraduate thesis to have a purpose and a heart,” she stated. “It’s very timely din kasi mayroon tayong krisis sa edukasyon at pati na rin sa pangkalusugan.”

Redefining Modern Child Healthcare

Iyah designed SPECTRA, a proposed Multidisciplinary Complex for Pediatric Intervention. She primarily focused on children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD) and tailored the facilities to their needs.

“Their needs, it’s very expensive, it’s not always free, and ‘yong mga doctors kasi na nag-a-address ng gan’ong needs ng mga bata is private,” Iyah explained.

Fortunately, the national government has plans to establish specialty hospitals per region, which allocated enough funding for Iyah to kickstart her thesis. For data gathering, she interviewed families of children with NDDs. She also went to municipalities in Manila for data, then to PCMC and the National Children’s Hospital for site visits.

It was where Iyah saw the problems firsthand: there was an apparent lack of medical equipment and hospital facilities. To address these problems, Iyah bridged healthcare and education settings in her design. She designed a hospital with a specific floor for children with NDDs, catering to children from 0-19 years old. Iyah also designed a school, geared to teach these students up to Junior High.

“I used ASPECTSS design specifically for children with autism or children with NDDs. They require considerations for acoustics, spatial sequencing, escape space, compartmentalization, transition, zoning and safety,” Iyah elaborated. “There are areas for them to play and be kids, so medyo male-lessen yong worry to go to the hospital.”

Designing with Empathy and Purpose

She incorporated multi-sensory and biophilic architecture in consideration of the kids’ sensory perception. Since this is a government-funded project, Iyah also meticulously followed the requirements set by the Department of Health (DOH).

Iyah’s thesis would not be complete without the help of her adviser, Ar. Nino Dem Karlo Huang, who is a parent himself. “He’s a former nurse and mayroon din siyang anak na may special needs,” Iyah shared. “With his help, my ideas came to fruition.”

Iyah’s perseverance eventually paid off, earning her the Best Thesis award in her batch. She overcame her self-doubt and finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Di ako nag-expect masyado, but seeing my support system happy for me, ‘yong thesis adviser ko, mother ko, ‘yon ‘yong naging reward ko after all I’ve been through sa thesis season ko,” Iyah said. “Them being proud of me suffices.”

Iyah is currently on a mental health break while doing some commissions as a side hustle. She plans to work in Manila later on and be involved in designing healthcare facilities in the future.