UST ‘arki’ conducts documentation, modern architectural heritage conservation workshop

UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas’ College of Architecture recently hosted the Modern Asean Architecture (MASEANA) Philippines International Students Workshop 2020+1.

The event was part of the MASEANA Project (https://www. maseana.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ ), a six-year initiative to document, study and work toward conservation of modern architecture in the region. Manila was the last leg of the conference and workshop series, with different cities of member-countries hosting such since 2015.

Originally planned as an inperson seminar-workshop in February 2020, it was instead reorganized as an online event due to the ongoing pandemic. As a result, the MASEANA PH 2020+1 International Students Workshop was able to virtually gather student participants and professional mentors from 20 different academic institutions from Metro Manila, Ilocos Sur, Bulacan, Tarlac, Quezon, Bicol, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao, and Zamboanga.

Keynote speakers for the opening ceremony were Dr. Puay Peng Ho of the National University of Singapore and Dr. Jeanclaude Girard of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, or Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

The workshop was designed to have synchronous and asynchronous sessions that allowed participants to discuss, analyze, and talk about the identified modern buildings and their environments. Asynchronous lectures, by Ar. Michael Manalo and Ar. Santillan for Module 1, and Ar. Paulo Alcazaren and Ar. Adrian Yap for Module 2, were made available to the participants.

Participants also met virtually during two separate synchronous sessions in March to discuss their assigned buildings. The workshop’s output included individual presentations for each of the buildings, posters of the individual clusters, and interactive maps or Storymaps. The preliminary output of the workshop can be viewed via their online exhibit at https:// exhibitmaseana.wixsite.com/ maseanaph.

The six-week workshop concluded with lectures that included keynote presentations by Dr. Edson G. Cabalfin of Tulane University in Louisiana, USA; and Dr. Eric Zerrudo of UST Graduate School Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics (USTGS-CCCPET).

The ceremony also featured speakers from various provinces of the Philippines who spoke about examples of modern architecture in their locality. They included Ar. Ana Lorilla of Bicol University, Ar. Mariel May Gamalinda of University of Naga, Ar. Eugenia Pinoliad of the University of Bohol, Ar. Enp. Godesil Lejarde of Bulacan State University, Ar. Ma. Theresa Austria of the University of San Agustin, and Ar. Noelito Del Rosario of Western Mindanao State University.

Headed by MASEANA Workshop Overall Coordinator and UST faculty member Ar. Caryn Paredes-santillan, PHD, the event was organized by the UST College of Architecture with the USTGS-CCCPET, the UST Center for Continuing Professional Education & Development, and the United Architects of the Philippines-manila Atelier chapter. It was also conducted in cooperation with the Institute of Industrial Science of the University of Tokyo, the Toyota Foundation, as well as the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement.