1. Organisers

This conference is jointly organised by Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan (Bunkacho); the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO; the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara and Tokyo; WHITRAP Shanghai; Tongji University; and Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning & Design Institute in cooperation with the JAPAN ICOMOS National Committee, the Japanese Association for Conservation of Architectural Monuments (JACAM).

2. Background and Objective

The International Conference 2011 is the second in a series, held once each fiscal year and expected to continue for several years, under the general theme of “Human Resources Development for the Transmission of Traditional Skills”.

The first conference aimed at a common understanding of the theme’s current status by presenting different national approaches to the restoration of historic buildings. It also highlighted ways of posting experts on sites to guide and supervise the repair work, examples of different legislation and measures for training conservation experts with traditional skills and for procuring traditional materials, and the actual operations at work sites. We also deepened discussion on how to transmit traditional skills and materials for restoration, while taking a comprehensive view of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The subtheme of the first conference was woodworking, and practical aspects of the repair work were discussed in detail.

Following up on the first conference, the subtheme of the second will be stone and brick, as seen in structures such as stone monuments, stone walls, building foundations, bridges, retaining walls and brick buildings. Case studies of repair work using traditional techniques and materials will be examined from each country in the Asia-Pacific region, while aiming to share information on the latest scientific technology for use in making judgments at the stage of preliminary investigation, and on methods for assessing the current condition of the properties.

3. Dates and Venues

Dates: From Tuesday, 6 to Thursday, 8 December 2011

Venues: Tongji Urban Planning Building, Tongji University, Shanghai, P.R. China, etc.