UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation
UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation
The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation have been established to recognize the achievement of individuals and organizations within the private sector, and the public-private initiatives, in successfully restoring structures of heritage value in the region.
This project advances UNESCO’s global strategic objective of “promoting the drafting and implementation of standard setting instruments in the field of culture”. Within this global framework, it builds on the regional pillar of “localization and empowerment of the culture profession to develop and implement standards”.
UNESCO's mandate is to promote the stewardship of the world's cultural resources, including the built heritage which constitutes our collective cultural memory, and the foundation upon which communities can construct their future. In Asia and the Pacific, UNESCO supports conservation activists at all levels, and particularly seeks to encourage the role of the private sector in preserving the region's cultural heritage.
Since 2000, UNESCO has received 311 entries from 23 territories, spanning a wide range of conservation projects from private residences to palace complexes. Many of the entries have set technical and social benchmarks for conservation in the region, while acting as catalysts for local preservation activity. Over the years, the projects illustrate the increasing momentum and level of conservation in Asia and the Pacific.
In 2005, UNESCO launched the Heritage Awards Jury Commendation for Innovation. The Jury Commendation recognizes newly-built structures which demonstrate outstanding standards for contemporary architectural design which are well integrated into historic contexts.
News
Jury Meets to Select the 2009 UNESCO Heritage Awards
A total of 52 entries have been received for the 2009 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation, the tenth cycle of the Awards programme. The jury will meet on 24-26 June 2009 to select this year’s winners at UNESCO Bangkok in Thailand.
An Award of Excellence will be given to the project selected as representing the most excellent achievement in the restoration of an historic structure, followed by Awards of Distinction, Awards of Merit and Honourable Mentions. Winning projects will be announced in September 2009.
Out of 52 projects, 48 have been submitted for the Heritage Conservation Awards programme. Four projects have been submitted for the Jury Commendation for Innovation category, which recognizes new structures built in historic contexts. The submissions are from 15 countries: Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore,Thailand and Viet Nam. More information about each of the projects can be found here.
The 10-member 2009 UNESCO Heritage Awards jury comprises Dr Tim Curtis, Dr William Chapman, Dr Richard Engelhardt, Dr Pinraj Khanjanusthiti, Ms Anna Kwong, Mr Budi Lim, Mr Laurence Loh, Mr Nimish Patel, Mr Chatvichai Promadhattavedi, and Dr Johannes Widodo.
The Getty Conservation Institute Presents a Conservation Matters Lecture: "Conservation of the Ahichhatragarh-NagaurFort in India," 2002 Heritage Awards Winner.
The Getty Conservation Institute organized a Conservation Matters lecture, "Conservation of the Ahichhatragarh-Nagaur Fort in India," on Thursday19 March 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
Minakshi Jain, architect and director for the conservation of the Ahichhatragarh-Nagaur Fort in northwest India, winner of the Award of Excellence for 2002 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation, has explained how the previously dilapidated fort became a model for the conservation of historic sites.
For more information about the Getty Conservation Institute, click here.
Sites worth saving
8 February 2009
The Crown Property Bureau paves the way and sets the standard for restoring buildings with historic value.
Next to the Bang Pakong river in Chachoengsao province is the former Prachin Buri precinct governor's office. Last year, the restoration of this English-style neo-classical single-storey building received an honourable mention at the annual UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards. And for very good reason.
[more]
Thailand: Temple, building and canal win 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards
29 October 2008
Wat Pongsanuk, the Amphawa Canal and the Crown Property Bureau Building have won the 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation, The Nation reports.
Wat Pongsanuk in Lampang received the Award of Merit while Amphawa Canal Community in Amphawa District, Samut Songkhram and the Crown Property Bureau Building in Chachoengsao won Honourable Mention Awards.
Kiwi Bach Wins UNESCO Heritage Award
29 September 2008
A humble kiwi bach on Rangitoto Island has made the big league by winning an international award for heritage conservation - a first for New Zealand.
The restoration of 'Bach 38' in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf shares an Honourable Mention in this year's UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards with large projects including a place in India, a preforming arts centre in Hong Kong and a canal community in Thailand.
Winners Announced for the 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards
Herat Old City in Afghanistan and Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia have been honoured with the two Awards of Excellence in the 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation.
The three Awards of Distinction went to the National Pass in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia, the Fujian Earth Buildings in Fujian Province, China and Suffolk House in Penang, Malaysia.
The three Awards of Merit include Vysial Street in Pondicherry, India, the Shigar Historic Settlements and Bazaar Area in the Northern Areas, Pakistan and Wat Pongsanuk in Lampang, Thailand.
Six Honourable Mentions were also announced. They are the Béthanie in Hong Kong SAR, China, the Archiepiscopal Palace in Goa, India, the Craigie Burn Bungalow in Matheran, India, Bach 38 in Rangitoto Island, Auckland, New Zealand, the Amphawa Canal Community in Amphawa District, Samut Songkhram Province, Thailand and the Crown Property Bureau Building in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand.
A total of 45 entries, from 13 countries in the region, were submitted for consideration. The conservation project entries include hotels, offices, cultural institutions, educational institutions, religious sites, memorials, public institutions, residential buildings and urban districts.
The 2008 Heritage Awards Jury Commendation for Innovation was awarded to 733 Mountbatten Road (Singapore). The Jury Commendation recognizes newly-built structures which demonstrate outstanding standards for contemporary architectural design which are well integrated into historic contexts.
For the press release about the 2008 UNESCO Heritage Awards winners, please click here (PDF format, 491 KB).
For more information about the 2008 UNESCO Heritage Awards winners, please click here.
Asia Conserved
UNESCO Bangkok has published Asia Conserved: Lessons Learned from the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation 2000-2004.
The book has been made possible with the support of the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust, with contributions from UNESCO Beijing, UNESCO Islamabad, UNESCO Jakarta and UNESCO Phnom Penh.
For more information about the book, please click here.