For today’s Gen Z design students, creativity goes beyond drawing sketches or drafting plans, it’s about testing ideas, experimenting with materials, and translating concepts into tangible projects that they can touch, modify, and refine.
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) supports this approach with MakerSpace Benilde, a newly opened facility designed to give students freedom to learn through practical experience.
According to SED dean Ar. Harvey Vasquez, the space encourages hands-on exploration, collaboration, and real-world application, moving beyond traditional classroom setups.
“This is the core essence of MakerSpace Benilde—students will be able to experience how to build first-hand. Hopefully, with this, they can explore working more with their hands,” Vasquez said.
The 1,476-square-meter venue, located along Camachile Street in Malate just steps from the Design + Arts Campus, was once an ancestral house but has been remodeled into modern workspaces, lecture halls, creative zones, and open lounges. It serves students from the Architecture, Fashion Design and Merchandising, Industrial Design, and Interior Design programs under the Benilde School of Environment and Design (SED).
MakerSpace features dedicated zones for laser cutters, 3D printers, pottery, kilns, and jewelry-making, along with proper storage for textiles and a borrowing system for tools. Students can also use construction equipment for larger projects, mix paints, dye fabrics, or hang their textiles to dry in open-air areas, giving them the chance to learn by doing in an environment designed to replicate real-world creative processes.
Vasquez also emphasized that the facility’s layout fosters collaboration and experimentation. Open lounges and flexible workspaces allow students to bounce ideas off each other and test concepts beyond the limitations of a traditional classroom.
MakerSpace gives students the tools and spaces to experiment directly with their ideas. From 3D printers and laser cutters to pottery wheels and open-air gardens for dyeing fabrics, the facility is designed to let students test materials, refine their projects, and learn practical skills while collaborating with peers. Vasquez said the layout allows students to work in ways traditional classrooms do not, giving them the experience of turning concepts into actual products.
