The 26^th best university in the world has tied up with the University of Northern Philippines!

The University of Hong Kong (HKU), particularly its master’s in Landscape Architecture program, has visited and tied up with the University of Northern Philippines for a project on heritage conservation. The team from HKU was welcomed in Vigan City on March 7.

A part of the internationalization initiatives of UNP, the said collaboration was spearheaded by the College of Architecture with Dr. Fatima Nicetas R. Alonzo at the helm.

Focused on showcasing Vigan’s heritage structures, the collaboration is on the documentation of 15 historical landmarks which were damaged by the July 27, 2022 earthquake. Involved in this project are the Architecture faculty members and fifth-year Architecture.

The HKU team is composed of Dr. Linda Shetabi (Director of the Division of Landscape Architecture, MSc Conservation Programme) and Ar. Michelle Chelsea Ho (Teaching Assistant, HKU MSc Conservation Programme). They are accompanied by 15 HKU students.

The second day of the collaboration on March 8, 2024 focused on a fieldwork activity documenting the heritage houses around Vigan City. Through this joint effort, both the HKU and UNP students and faculty immersed themselves in Vigan’s unique architectural landscape and gained insights into traditional design principles and historical preservation practices.

A presentation of the outputs will be staged on March 13 for homeowners and stakeholders. Also, a series of lectures will also feature panelists from HKU, UNP, and International Council of Monuments and Sites Philiippines (ICOMOS PH) at the Tadena Hall on March 12. The event is titled “Knowledge Sharing on Notable Practices in Heritage Conservation and Disaster Risk Management.”

Article and photos by The Façade, the official student publication of the College of Architecture.