SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Department of Architecture

ASSESSMENT OF THE REVITALIZED HERITAGE BUILDING:

A LAPERAL WHITE HOUSE CASE STUDY

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the subject Research Methods

by:

Abille, Clarense Gil C.

Bacdayan, Chris Jan A.
Banglot, Ashtin Jan C.
Bernardo, Angeleen Kayla M.
Boholst, Paul Ivan C.
Garcia, Gerlyn Iya V.
Laforteza, Christine Mae M.
Manangan, Darwin Charls S.

APRIL 2023
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INTRODUCTION

One of the key components that gives a city its personality, identity, and
perception of the past, present, and future is its heritage. A key factor and driver of historical,
economic, and social growth is built cultural legacy. As historical and cultural evidence, the
urban building stock and its connotative meanings play a significant role in the city. Yet,
constraints on the constructed urban assets have increased due to technological, demographic,
and economic developments as well as a lack of systematic evaluation procedures for
properly taking into account the conflict between sustainable urban growth and the
preservation of cultural heritage (Sofianou & Bagiouk, 2020).

Sustainability is now at the top of the political agenda because of an increase

in environmental concerns throughout the world in recent years. Numerous countries have
put regulations in place to increase renewable energy sources, save energy, and lower carbon
emissions. The buildings that have been designated as heritage buildings by their
communities are included in the portfolio of currently standing structures. When green
building performance issues with heritage buildings exist, they can be resolved through
restoration. It is acknowledged that maintaining historic structures promotes environmental
sustainability. By preserving the embodied energy in the existing structures, heritage building
preservation encourages sustainable development by reducing the energy consumption
associated with trash disposal, destruction, and new construction. Key elements of
sustainability are energy efficiency and building preservation (Okba & Embaby, 2013).

Most cities have historic landmarks and structures they want to preserve and
reinvigorate as they symbolize certain historical, political and/or economic events. These
landmarks also serve as part of tourism and are an important component of the city’s
economy (Sandbhor & Botre, 2013). Heritage buildings still in use have more potential to be
further developed and utilized. Furthermore, according to Sandbhor & Botre (2013), if the
structure is not restored in due time, the original condition and performance of the building
would worsen and prove to be damper on the efforts of any future development.

Revitalization strategies are used to preserve heritage structures, they not only
work to preserve the structure itself but also the original builders' time, effort, and dedication.
The goal of revitalizing heritage buildings in architecture is to strike a compromise between
preserving existing structures and the necessity to suit modern needs, particularly those
related to space and finances. Through compatible reuse and appropriate assessment methods,
architectural heritage buildings can retain their original facades, historical patterns, layouts,
architectural elements, and historical associations while also contributing to a modern urban
environment and meeting the functional requirements associated with that environment (Li et
al., 2021).

The Laperal White House is an American Colonial architecture; this house

was built in 1920 when the country was under American rule. It was the home of the Laperal
family, one of the oldest clans in Baguio, headed by Don Roberto. It has also been an Art
house owned by business tycoon Lucio Tan. It was open to the public and hosted the Ifugao
Bamboo Carving Gallery, a joint project of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation and Tan Yan
Kee Foundation (“The Horrific Histories of Philippine Haunted Houses,” 2016). Moreover,
the Laperal White House has been turned into an upscale dining establishment called
Joseph's, serving continental food highlighting contemporary French cuisine.
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A study entitled “Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings” found that despite

many benefits for sustainability, adaptive reuse of heritage buildings is thought to pose
several issues, not the least of which is whether these structures should be preserved because
they are icons or are actually spectacles that are unfitting for them adaptive reuse. Reusing a
building involves weighing various factors, including its location, architectural merits,
historical significance, and current market conditions. Building conservation is now part of a
larger plan for urban renewal and sustainability rather than just being used for preservation
(Bullen & Love, 2011).

This study focuses on the assessment of the building performance of the

revitalized old Laperal White House. Specifically the study seeks to answer the following
questions:

1. Is there a significant difference between the old Laperal White House and the
current upscale fine dine “Joseph’s” in terms of:
a. Historical value
b. Architectural value
c. Cultural value
d. Ecological value

2. Is there a significant difference between building performance the old Laperal

White House and the current upscaled fine dine “Joseph’s” in terms of:
a. Comfortability
b. Function

3. How effectively does the revitalized Laperal White House serve its current
purpose?

Fig. 1 Research Paradigm

This study will benefit the community, especially the businesses surrounding
the heritage building, for increased tourism due to revitalization. The findings can be used as
a basis for other heritage building repairs or revitalizations, and will serve as reference to
architects and builders. Furthermore, the findings of the study will be useful for future studies
on the heritage building revitalization.

This study limits itself to a certain heritage building, the “Laperal White
House”, located in Baguio City. This case study is based on two Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG), specifically Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG #9) and Sustainable
Cities and Communities (SDG #11) (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.). It is
conducted to determine the effectiveness of the revitalized old Laperal White House.
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METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study will utilize a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and

quantitative data gathering methods. The study will mainly focus on identifying the
perceptions of the public regarding the building performance of the old Laperal White House
and observing the built environment using the Post Occupancy Evaluation to determine the
condition of the heritage building. The perception of the public will be used to determine the
effectiveness of the revitalization of the building. Questionnaires will be used to gather the
perceptions of the public or the end-users to the revitalized old Laperal White House. The
results obtained will provide information to determine the effectiveness of revitalizing the old
Laperal White House that could possibly aid with improving the effectiveness of revitalizing
other heritage buildings.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of this study will be the population along the area of the
Laperal White House and people who already visited the heritage building.

Data Gathering Instrument

The researchers will make use of a Likert-Scale questionnaire to determine the

satisfaction level of end-users and the perception of the public to the revitalized Laperal
White House. Furthermore, the researchers will make use of the Post Occupancy Evaluation
as a guide in making observations on the condition of the revitalized heritage building.

Data Gathering Procedures

The researchers will use purposive sampling as its method to determine the
respondents for the study.
Before the research is conducted, the researchers will give a letter to the management
of “Joseph’s Restaurant” to ask for the approval to conduct the study in their vicinity. The
researchers will make use of the Post Occupancy Evaluation to make structured observations
on determining the condition of the revitalized heritage building. The researchers will ask the
prospective respondents if they are willing to participate in the study beforehand and then
inform them what the study is all about. The researchers then will start to hand-out the
questionnaires to obtain their perceptions.

Data Analysis

Using the gathered data, the results of the Building Condition Assessment will
be summarized.

For the comparison of the old Laperal White House and the revitalized Laperal
White House, the answers of the respondents for each question which corresponds to the old
and revitalized building and the answers of the respondents will be categorized accordingly.
The researchers will average the answers and compare the means using the statistical tool,
two-sample t-test, to obtain if there is a significant difference between the old and revitalized
Laperal White House.
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Σ𝑑
𝑡 = 2 2
𝑛(Σ𝑑 )−(Σ𝑑)
𝑛−1

where:
𝑑 = difference per paired value
n = number of samples
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REFERENCES

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Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). The 17 Sustainable Goals. Sustainable
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Gloria, G. (2016, July 07). The horrific histories of Philippine haunted houses. CNN Life.
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Li, Y., Zhao, L., Huang, J., & Law, A. (2021, May 04). Research frameworks, methodologies,
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