THE groundbreaking of the Info Lab in Oton town, Iloilo province. (Oton InfoCen)
ILOILO CITY – An artist community in Oton town, Iloilo province will be the site for a study on communal spaces with a grant from the School of Architecture of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the compound of the Oton Visual Artist League (OVAL) in Barangay Abilay Sur last Nov. 17 for the three-story community building that will be known as the Info Lab.
The brainchild of architect and urban designer Francesco Rossini, the community building “intends to provide a systematic approach to exploring the interfaces between formal and informal practices, where communities play an active part in the construction and maintenance of the structure.”
The Info Lab will “incorporate energy-efficient technologies and locally available materials” that is part of its environmental sustainability.
Barangay Captain Marites Olivares Eusoya, OVAL founding member, said the Info Lab will expand the various community programs of OVAL with its gallery located in the middle of a farming community.
Rossini designed the Info Lab as a “multi-functional space where local communities may be able to host different social programs and educational activities, especially for children and underprivileged members of the community.”
Architect Maria Regina Falconite played a key role in facilitating the Info Lab project in partnership with the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) and the Iloilo Science and Technology University
(ISAT-U).Also part of the construction phase are Engineers Corazon Corbal and Ariel Sampiano as well as Architect Kent Capindo.