Héctor J. Berdecía-Hernández
Concentration: Architectural Conservation
Internship: Quinn Evans, Washington, D.C.
Personal Statement:
Born and raised in San Juan & Moca, Puerto Rico, Berdecía-Hernández received a B.EnvD. in Environmental Design-Architecture with a double major in History of the Americas and a Post-Bachelor Certificate in Urban Studies from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. He also studied Conservation Science courses within Georgetown University and the Universitá degli Studi di Firenze.
Berdecía-Hernández has previously worked on several architecture-preservation projects within the University of Puerto Rico, Quinn Evans, the Historic American Building Survey at the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Office of the Architect of the Capitol in Washington D.C. as a Córdova-Fernós Fellow. He currently serves as the Communications Co-Officer, Secretary and Lead editor for the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC).
His research focuses on the conservation of historic buildings and sites, building materials and technologies of 19th & 20th Century built heritage, contemporary design in historical settings, and issues related to preservation policy and sustainable development. At Penn, his thesis research examines the development of Portland cement and 20th Century concrete technologies in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, their deterioration, cleaning treatments, and conservation practices.
Thesis Research: Belleza Desnuda: A Conservation Assessment of the Exterior Concrete Surfaces of Henry Klumb's Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Cataño, Puerto Rico
Internship: Quinn Evans, Washington, D.C.
Personal Statement:
Born and raised in San Juan & Moca, Puerto Rico, Berdecía-Hernández received a B.EnvD. in Environmental Design-Architecture with a double major in History of the Americas and a Post-Bachelor Certificate in Urban Studies from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. He also studied Conservation Science courses within Georgetown University and the Universitá degli Studi di Firenze.
Berdecía-Hernández has previously worked on several architecture-preservation projects within the University of Puerto Rico, Quinn Evans, the Historic American Building Survey at the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Office of the Architect of the Capitol in Washington D.C. as a Córdova-Fernós Fellow. He currently serves as the Communications Co-Officer, Secretary and Lead editor for the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC).
His research focuses on the conservation of historic buildings and sites, building materials and technologies of 19th & 20th Century built heritage, contemporary design in historical settings, and issues related to preservation policy and sustainable development. At Penn, his thesis research examines the development of Portland cement and 20th Century concrete technologies in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, their deterioration, cleaning treatments, and conservation practices.
Thesis Research: Belleza Desnuda: A Conservation Assessment of the Exterior Concrete Surfaces of Henry Klumb's Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Cataño, Puerto Rico
