Manila Book Launch: Heritage and Public Space
We are celebrating the official launch of
Architectural Guide Manila (by
Bianca Weeko Martin with contributions by
Dr. Gerard Lico, published by
DOM Publishers) by highlighting ongoing heritage preservation efforts and the current state of public space in Manila.
What is public space, and what are positive examples that respond to Manila’s particular conditions and climate? This panel discussion—between
Author Bianca Weeko Martin,
Professor Gerard Lico, Director of DAM (Deutsches Architekturmuseum/German architecture museum)
Peter Cachola Schmal, and Founder of Kanto and Brutalist Pilipinas,
Patrick Kasingsing—will dive into projects in the book that offer new models for public space as well as bringing attention to buildings that at risk of demolition or neglect.
Together, we hope to find new design paradigms for public space in Manila and highlight current architectural efforts that constitute good, inclusive development this
May 11, 2024, 10:30am, at the Metropolitan Theater Manila Ballroom. Register below:
About the Speakers
©Gerald Lico
Prof. Gerald Rey Lico
Gerard Rey Lico is a Professor and Director of the Research Office at the College of Architecture, University of the Philippines Diliman. He practices architecture as a heritage conservation professional and designer of institutional buildings. He is a prolific author of publications on Filipino architecture and cultural studies, curator of architectural exhibitions, and director of documentaries on Philippine architecture. He has been involved in the conservation of landmarks such as the Manila Metropolitan Theater, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, and the core buildings of the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman. He also served as a consultant of conservation planning initiatives for other local and national heritage sites across the country. Apart from presently serving as Consulting Architect for the City of Valenzuela, he heads a multi-disciplinary, research-oriented design consultancy practice.
© Bianca Weeko Martin
Bianca Weeko Martin
Bianca Weeko Martin is a writer and independent researcher, working in architecture and the fine arts. She is the author of Architectural Guide Manila (2024) and currently leads research projects focused on publishing, public transit, and the Filipino diaspora in Canada. Born in Jakarta to Filipino and Indonesian parents, Bianca collaborates with designers, public artists, academics, publishers, and business owners in Toronto, Canada.
© DAM Frankfurt, Kirsten Bucher
Peter Cachola Schmal
Peter Cachola Schmal, Architect, has been Director of the German Architecture Museum (DAM) in Frankfurt am Main since 2006. He has curated numerous exhibitions and was General Commissioner of the German Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale (“Making Heimat. Germany Arrival Country”). He is a member of both the Steering Committee of the Mies European Award and the European Prize for Urban Public Space. As an architecture journalist, curator and juror, he has an international influence on the architecture scene. And he is a German Filipino mestizo, looking for a curator for the Filipino contribution to the Guest of Honor 2025 of Frankfurt Bookfair.
© Patrick Kasingsing
Patrick Kasingsing
Patrick Kasingsing is the co-moderator and founder of Brutalist Pilipinas, a social-media based platform dedicated to documenting brutalist architecture in the Philippines since 2018. He has progressed through various roles in his career, serving both the art and copy side of architecture media: he previously served as the creative director of BluPrint magazine and launched design and culture title Kanto.com.ph, where he is currently editor in chief.
This project is organized by the Goethe-Institut Philippinen and
Arc Lico, in coperation with
DOM Publishers,
Renacimiento Manila, and the
College of Architecture at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
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