MANILA – Architecture students of University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman will soon enjoy more space with the inauguration of two new buildings in their college.

One of these is a classroom building that has seven floors, with the first four consisting of 30 workstations and four studio laboratories.

Known to students as “Building 3,” the structure is expected to be up and running by January next year, according to UP Diliman’s online community newspaper.

The second structure is the 400-seat Benito Sy Pow Auditorium, which is also an academic building.

It was donated by New Golden City Builders president Manny Sy to honor his father, Benito.

“Some of our students now live in the dorms. They hardly have space for working. And while we have some spaces here for working, the existing studios are not very conducive for overnight work,” professor Mary Ann Espina, who was the dean of UP Diliman’s College of Architecture during the inception of the projects, was quoted as saying.

“Here, we will provide students with a working space where their creativity will be used to the maximum,” Espina added.