Multi-awarded Architect Gerard Lico urged the local youth to advocate for the betterment of the country’s heritage.
To lead the community towards environmental and social sustainability, the art historian recently shared his expertise on the tedious process of rehabilitating cultural sites with the creative students under the Architecture and Interior Design Programs of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Environment and Design (SED).
He shared his insights to the students at the Benilde Design+Arts (D+A) Campus.
Lico’s lecture touched on the factors that affect the decision-making on conserving structures, such as religious and historical significance, architectural merit and character, rarity, identity and contribution factors in society.
The curator explained that good conservation aims for minimum intervention in the historic fabric of an edifice. He likewise added that elements should be repaired than replaced.
This approach will also improve the physical conditions of places, increase economic growth, strengthen emotional bonds, and provide a better quality of life for the people.
Lico is an educator at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman College of Architecture. He is a prolific author of notable publications, to include Edifice Complex: Power, Myth, and Marcos State Architecture; Deco Filipino: Art Deco Heritage in the Philippines; and Arkitekturang Pilipino, among others.
He has been involved in the restoration of important landmarks, such as the Manila Metropolitan Theater, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum and the facilities of the UP Diliman.
He also served as a consultant for planning initiatives for other local and ancestral grounds across the country.
He was awarded the 2022 Outstanding Professional of the Year by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). The Embassy of Italy in the Philippines recognized his remarkable contributions to heritage architecture during the 1st Italian Design Day in the Philippines.
