1. Organisers
This conference is jointly organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan (Bunkacho); Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO; National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara and Tokyo; WHITRAP Shanghai under the auspices of UNESCO; Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning and Design Institute; and College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University; the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property(ICCROM), the JAPAN ICOMOS National Committee, and the Japanese Association for Conservation of Architectural Monuments (JACAM).

2. Background and Objective
The International Conference 2014 is the second in a series, which began in December 2013, held once every year, under the general theme of “Revisiting the Philosophy of Preserving Wooden Structures”.

At the first conference, we discussed how wooden structures had been restored; especially the changes in the philosophy of preserving wooden structures and restoration methods for preservation after the formulation of the “Nara Document” in Nara in 1994.Cases of individual buildings were given as examples.

This year, rather than looking at individual buildings, we will focus on groups of buildings, such as town streetscapes and villages, and the surrounding environment. We will facilitate discussions on their relationship with the local communities that play an important role in preserving the landscape with wooden structures.

3. Dates and Venues
Dates: 16 to 18 December 2014
Venues: 3 Floor Wenyuan Building, Tongji University, Shanghai, P.R. China

4. Keynote Speaker:
Mr. Gamini Wijesuriya, Project Manager, ICCROM, Sri Lanka
Mrs. HAN Feng, Professor, Collage of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, China
Mr. MURATA Ken’ichi, Counsellor, Cultural Properties Department, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan

General Discussion: “Revisiting the Philosophy of Preserving Wooden Structures”
Discussants:
INABA Nobuko (Professor, University of Tsukuba)
MASUDA Kanehusa (Researcher, JACAM)
KIYONAGA Yohei (Specialist for Cultural Properties, Cultural Affairs Japan)
TOMODA Masahiko (Head, Conservation Design Section, National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo)
EDANI Hiroko (Researcher Nara National Reaserch Institute for Cultural Properties)
ZHOU Jian (Director, WHITRAP Shanghai)
SHAO Yong (Executive Director, WHITRAP Shanghai)