XANDER LACSON
Archi tec t • Sust ai na ble H er ita g e Co ns ult ant
xand erla cso n@g mail.co m htt ps:/ / ww w.li nk edi n.co m/i n/ xa nd erl acso n UK +44 7522 145819 PH +63 917 573 6688
Assistant Professor in sustainable design and heritage conservation. Extensive experience in design development, planning, materials and finishes. Project Management for residential, commercial and hospitality sectors. Consultant for environmental and heritage impact assessments and sustainable strategies for managing heritage property.
EDUCATION & QUALIFICATION Master of Science in Built Environment : Sustainable Heritage [ with Distinction ] Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources – University College London • • •
Dissertation: “Investigating the Obsolescence of Heritage Property: A Case Study On Smithfield Market,” a critical analysis on the Adaptive Reuse Potential Model, building life cycle, useful life and conversion of heritage property. Program specialised in sustainable strategies for heritage management, methodologies, policies, projects, practices. Program accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Institute of Historic Building Conservation
Bachelor of Science in Architecture [ graduated Magna Cum Laude ] University of the Philippines – College of Architecture • • •
[ 2016 – 2017 ]
[ 2003 – 2008 ]
Thesis: The Adaptive Reuse of the Army & Navy Club of Manila Focused on historic data collection, building surveying, adaptive reuse and retrofitting for the historic site. Yearly recipient of the University Scholar Award, a distinction given to students with the highest-ranking GPA.
Registered Architect - Philippine Regulation Commission
[ 2010 – current ]
ACADEMIC & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS Assistant Professor [ Sustainable Design & Community Planning ] Senior Lecturer [ Architectural Communication ]
[ 2022 – current ] [ 2021 – 2022 ]
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE [ UPCA ] • • • • • • •
Lectures students on Sustainable Design, Community Planning, Arch. Communication Techniques Plans, develops, implements syllabi, rubrics, relevant up-to-date resource material for above courses Trains students in planning, programming, rationalising design solutions with sustainability context Uses project case-studies from own work portfolio to provide real-world context for learning Assesses, evaluates, gives feedback on student coursework and learning via Google Classroom / Moodle Mentors undergraduate students of diverse socio-economic backgrounds and learning styles Thesis Juror for sustainable design, community planning, heritage conservation focused thesis-work
Gender and Development [ GAD ] Focal Point
[ 2022 – current ]
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE [ UPCA ] • • • • • •
Prepared the UPCA GAD Plan and Budget for 2023, focusing on women, LGBTQIA+ projects / initiatives Established partnership with UPCA Mental Health Committee for post pandemic projects / initiatives Developed UPCA GAD mandate, action plan, goals through surveys, FGDs and stakeholder engagement Supports, provides advice on gender perspectives and mainstreaming in all aspects of UPCA operations Represents UPCA in university projects, activities, campaigns and training initiatives by the Gender Office Plans, conceptualises, implements and leads GAD programs, activities, projects, partnerships for UPCA
Adjunct Lecturer [ Architectural Heritage Conservation & Sustainable Design ]
[ 2019 – current ]
DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY – BENILDE SCHOOL OF DESIGN + ART • • • •
Designed / developed an undergraduate specialisation course for architecture on Heritage Conservation Lectures students on Sustainable Design / Architecture and Architectural Heritage Conservation Plans, develops, implements syllabi, rubrics, relevant up-to-date resource material for above courses Converted face-to-face instruction materials and methodology into online learning and engagement
Speaker – Green Breakthroughs 2019
[ 11th October 2019 ]
PHILIPPINE GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE
Speaker – Bringing New Life to Old Buildings
[ 21st May 2018 ]
HERITAGE CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF THE PHILIPPINES
Speaker – Sustainable Heritage Student Seminar
[ 15th November 2017 ]
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON | THE BARTLETT SCHOOL
HERITAGE & SUSTAINABILITY Consultant for Conservation and Museum Exhibitions Imperial Citadel of Thāng Long UNESCO World Heritage – Hànôi Heritage Conservation Centre
[ 2019 - 2020 ]
• •
Content editing and review based on cross-referenced archival / historical data. Exhibition conceptualisation, design, production and project management.
• •
Technical review, writing, editing heritage impact assessments and conservation management plans Organised and managed community consultations for stakeholder engagement initiatives
Surveyor Trainee - Hampton Court Palace [ Historic Royal Palaces ] Learning and Engagement Program Organiser - HM Tower of London [ Historic Royal Palaces ] • •
[ 2018 ] [ 2017 ]
Developed, implemented and managed activities for visitors, families, school children at the Tower. Trained for CAD & metric survey under the Office of the Surveyor of the Fabric at Hampton Court.
Consultant for Environmental and Heritage Impact Assessment St. Paul’s Catacombs Complex Malta - Heritage Malta | UCL
[ November 2016 – April 2017 ]
Investigated the environmental and heritage impact of the new museum and visitor facilities that opened the 1500-year-old archaeological site to visitors for the first time in 2015, and proposed a consequent mitigation action plan for the site. Presented report findings to the Board of Heritage Malta. Headed onsite team for: • • • • •
Interviews with conservation specialists, museum curator, staff and visitors Research on site history, significance and context Heritage value assessment; and risk assessment for site, museum collection and visitors Environmental monitoring of relative humidity and temperature in catacombs and museum displays Condition surveys of in-situ archaeology and artefacts
Consultant for Environmental and Heritage Management Grade II* Listed Private London Property / Museum – Private Owner | UCL
[ January 2017 – February 2017 ]
Proposed holistic strategies for conservation, funding, environmental and museum operational management. Conducted condition surveys, assessed building pathology, and identified building fabric deterioration, integrating knowledge on UK planning policy, listed building consent and statutory constraints.
ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING Retail Design Consultant GOURDO’S INCORPORATED – Philippines
[ 2018 – current ]
Retail interiors and store façade design, from conceptual, planning, development to construction implementation; project and construction management for retail store interior fit-out renovation and newbuild; visual merchandising for the Philippines’ leading retail chain for homeware and accessories. Low-Cost Housing Consultant OPUS LAND INCORPORATED – Philippines
[ 2017 – 2018 ]
Sustainable architectural design, site planning, construction documentation, materials specification, coordination with engineering consultants for economic housing units for a large-scale development.
Co-Founder | Senior Designer DESIGN.3 ARCHITECTS – Philippines
[ 2012 – 2016 ]
Established a thriving business and diversified portfolio from residential to commercial. Successfully repositioned design studio as design-and-construct firm. Practised ‘designing with the client,’ involving enduser in design process. Projects ranged from renovations to retrofits, new construction and site planning. • • • • • • •
Completed simultaneous construction projects of varying scales from planning to implementation Project management and completion within budget, schedule and scope of work agreements Supervised technical teams and engineering consultants for construction drawings and documents Prepared and negotiated for contract scope of work, price quotes and planning permission applications Construction management; approved shop drawings, responded to RFI’s and monitored jobsites Space planning and design development for retail, workspace, hotels, villas & high-end residential SELECTED PROJECTS IN THE PHILIPPINES : o Gourdo’s Retail Chain Retail design, interior fit-out & façade design (250 SQM) o Voyager Innovations Office design, interior fit-out (5000 SQM over 5 levels) o Boracay Resort Project Master planning, villas design development (1.2 hectares)
Senior Architect
[ 2008 – 2012 ]
LEANDRO V. LOCSIN PARTNERS, ARCHITECTS – Philippines Trained directly with the Managing Partner of an award-winning firm. Led a team of architects, managed highprofile / corporate clients + engineering consultants for large-scale commercial, resort, residential projects. •
• • • • • • •
Produced presentation materials for winning bids to design competitions: o New Performing Arts Theatre – Cultural Centre of the Philippines; o Henry Sy Sr. Hall – De La Salle University Manila Designed, supervised installation of architectural/interior detailing, materials, finishes and FF&E Interior finishes specification and selection for retail, hotels, resorts, villas and high-end residences Coordinated with contractors/suppliers for material selection, sampling, prototyping and installation Produced technical/construction drawings, specifications with floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, elevations, sections and FF&E installation for high-rise buildings and commercial projects (AutoCAD) Space planning in accordance with local building code and National Building Code of the Philippines Commercial interior design implementation from schematic, design development to construction SELECTED PROJECTS IN THE PHILIPPINES: o Asya Premier Resort Boracay Villas architecture & interior design (4 ha. + villas) o Tagaytay Boutique Hotel Villas design schematic development (1.5 ha. + villas) o NET Lima Tower BGC Mixed-Use LEED Commercial Interior fit-out o Serendra Condominiums BGC Interior renovation: lobbies/public areas (2500 SQM) o De La Salle University Henry Sy Hall Conceptual design LEED Certified
ADVOCACY WORK EXPERIENCE Terrence Higgins Trust – London, 2017 – 2018 | Spectra - St. Charles Centre for Health and Wellbeing – London, 2016 – 2018 Engaged clients of diverse cultural backgrounds primarily in the LGBTQ+ community for HIV testing, sexual health and wellbeing. Staff Award for Client Engagement “Colleagues expressed that you are an extremely reliable and proactive member of the team, who has engaged our clients sensitively and appropriately at all times. You are a credit to Spectra’s team […]” Karen Skipper, CEO,
COMPETENCIES SOFTWARE : AutoCAD; Sketchup; Microsoft Office; Adobe InDesign/Photoshop; Neo; Google Education; Moodle LANGUAGE : English / Filipino [ bilingual ], Spanish [ B2 D.E.L.E. ], German [ B1 Goethe Zertifikat ]
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Member, UAP // Affiliate Member, Royal Institute of British Architects
PORTFOLIO | WRITING SAMPLES | REFERENCES.
issuu.com/xanderlacson [ or available on request via email ]