1.1

The 2011 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards recognize the achievement of individuals, organizations or companies in the conservation/restoration of a structure or a series of structures in the private sector which is/are more than 50 years old. Residential, commercial, cultural, religious, industrial or institutional buildings, gardens, landscapes, bridges, and heritage sites are all eligible for consideration. Public-private partnership projects such as historic towns, urban quarters and rural settlements where the essential elements are more than 50 years old are also eligible.

2.1

The Award, which is established for an indeterminate period, shall be awarded on an annual basis.

2.2

The Awards shall consist of a number of winners to be determined by the Jury in the following categories:

a. Award of Excellence, which demonstrates exceptional achievement in all criteria and has major catalytic impact at the national or regional level;

b. Award of Distinction, which demonstrates outstanding achievement in all criteria and has significant impact at the national or regional level;

c. Award of Merit, which demonstrates superior achievement in all criteria;

d. Honorable Mention, which demonstrates noteworthy achievement in selected criteria.

2.3

Each Award winner will receive one bronze plaque.

2.4

Certificates of recognition will be presented to all parties included on the entry form.

2.5

The form and number of the awards may be varied from time to time at the discretion of UNESCO.

2.6

The award will be made out in the name of the project entry.

3.1

To be considered for the Awards, the conserved or restored structure or structures must be over 50 years old. 

3.2

Structures must be privately owned or leased, and restoration must be the result of private initiative or a public-private partnership. Projects financed, owned and undertaken wholly by government entities are not eligible.

3.3

The works must have been completed within the last 10 years and before the announcement date of the awards. The project must also have been occupied or put to viable use for at least one year.

3.4

Entries which have been previously submitted will not be eligible for resubmission unless invited to do so by the jury or substantial additional restoration has been carried out.

4.1

The award recipients shall be selected on the proposal of an internal jury.                                          

5.1

The Jury shall be composed of
a. 1 representative from UNESCO, and
b. 6-8 international conservation experts renowned for their knowledge of conservation in the Asia-Pacific Region. 

5.2

UNESCO shall appoint the Jury for the full period of the Awards process.

6.1

Entries may be submitted by the registered owner, registered lessee, or conservation consultant, architect or designer, any of whom would have had to be involved in the process, preferably throughout the entire project duration.

6.2

Each entry must be submitted to UNESCO before 31 March 2011.

6.3

Submission of an entry will be taken to imply the granting of permission to publish all material and particulars of the successful schemes, including the jury report, without charge to UNESCO.

6.4

The wording of plaques and certificates will be based strictly on the details given on the entry form.

6.5

All submitting persons or firms will be responsible for delivery of their respective entries. Entry materials will not be returned.

6.6

One or more entries may be submitted by the same individual or institution.

7.1

Winners will be announced in September 2011. The entry submitter will be notified in strict confidence if their project is selected for an Award. UNESCO reserves the right to disqualify any entry which is subject to unauthorized prior disclosure.

7.2

Certificates and plaques will be presented to, and will record, the names of the project, the architect/designer, structure owner and the contractor of the winning projects. When appropriate, they will also list those consultants who were key to the realization of the project. Only one plaque per award will be presented by UNESCO. Additional plaques may be ordered at cost.

8.1

The Award recipients will have conclusively demonstrated excellence in:
a. the articulation of the structure’s heritage values in order to convey the spirit of place through the conservation work;
b. appropriate use or adaptation of the structure;
c. the interpretation of the cultural, social, historical and architectural significance of the structure(s) in the conservation work;
d. the understanding of the technical issues of conservation/restoration in interpreting the structure’s significance;
e. the use and quality control of appropriate building, artisan, and conservation techniques;
f. the use of appropriate materials;
g. how well any added elements or creative technical solutions respect the character and inherent spatial quality of the structure(s);
h. the manner in which the process and the final product contribute to the surrounding environment and the local community’s cultural and historical continuum;
i. the influence of the project on conservation practice and policy locally, nationally, regionally or internationally;
j. the ongoing socio-economic viability and relevance of the project, and provision for its future use and maintenance;
k. the complexity, sensitivity and technical consistency of the project methodology.

9.1

Entry Form 
Each entry must be submitted with an official entry form together with the following materials.

9.2

Drawings 

• Required: maps showing location of project in neighborhood, in city, in country
• Required: site plan, floor plans and sections, showing pre- and post-restoration condition.  All alterations/new additions should be clearly marked in color.     
• Optional: elevation drawings.
• All drawings should be reduced to A4 size.

9.3

Photographs

A minimum of 20 high-resolution colour photographic prints measuring 5” x 7”, showing:

• pre- and post-restoration conditions, including interior and exterior views and the overall appearance of the structure (minimum 6 pairs of photographs)
• details of the restoration project, including materials and techniques used in conservation
  All photographs must be clearly labeled. Location of photographs should be indicated on a floor plan.

9.4

Project Description (in English) 
A report of 6-8  pages (A4 sheets) should describe in detail each of the following points:

• synopsis of conservation project (2 paragraphs maximum)
• conservation project’s goals and objectives (client’s brief)
• the background of the property (1 page maximum)
  • historical background
  • present context, condition, use of the property
  • heritage/protection status of the property
• scope of the conservation project
  • stages in restoration and time frame
  • project size (in sq meters) and cost (in US $)

The description should explain how the project demonstrates the criteria of the UNESCO Awards. Please explain separately each criterion in Article 8.

• articulation of heritage values and significance
• appropriate use/adaptation
  • changes made to structure (repairs and additions), and relationship of new to old
  • if restoration involved changing original use, rationale for changing use
• interpretation of the significance of the structure(s) in the conservation work
  • the methodology of restoration
• understanding of technical issues of conservation in the interpretation
  • issues of conservation/restoration considered and justifications for solutions
• use of appropriate building, artisan, and conservation techniques
• use of appropriate materials
• how well new elements and creative technical solutions respect structure’s character
• contribution to community’s cultural continuum
  • key stakeholders and involvement of local community in project
• impact of project on conservation practice and policy
• ongoing socio-economic viability and relevance of the project
  • regulatory framework of the project
  • mobilization of financial and in-kind support from public and private sectors
  • if project is a public-private initiative, contributions of each partner should be clearly indicated
  • provision for future use and maintenance
• the complexity, sensitivity and technical consistency of the project methodology

The points of the project description should be well documented through text and linked to the submitted photographs and drawings. A sample report format is available from the UNESCO office or the Awards programme web site. Please also submit text and images in electronic format (i.e. on diskette or CD-ROM) as well as hard copy.

9.5

Occupant Comments 
A brief statement from the structure’s occupants describing their evaluation of the restored structure’s usefulness and functionality, and their impressions of its contribution to the community’s historic continuum must accompany the entry.

A form (optional) for these comments is available from the UNESCO Bangkok office or the Awards programme web site.

9.6

Owner Consent 
The written consent of the structure or property owner must be obtained prior to entry. This consent should be submitted on either the owner’s letterhead or the form available from the UNESCO Bangkok office or the Awards programme website.

9.7

Additional Materials 
Additional supporting documentation may be submitted such as photos, videos, articles, etc. See website for guidelines. 

10.1

In addition to the announced Awards, the Jury will, through its special Jury Commendation, recognize newly-built structures which demonstrate outstanding standards for contemporary architectural design which are well integrated into historic contexts. Projects should have been undertaken within the framework of a larger conservation project or within a conservation zone whose essential elements are more than 50 years old. Building annexes, new buildings, new public spaces, and new structures such as bridges, for example, are all eligible for consideration.

11.1

The Jury Commendation will be given at the discretion of the Jury.

11.2

The Jury Commendation will consist of a bronze plaque for a selected number of entries.                     

12.1

To be considered for the Jury Commendation, the works must have been completed within the last 10 years and before the announcement date of the awards. The project must also have been occupied or put to viable use for at least one year.

12.2

The submission must demonstrate that no structures of heritage significance were altered or cleared from the site for the purpose of the project submitted for the Jury Commendation.

12.3

Projects which are new structures built as historic replicas, built against historic facades, and historic theme parks will not be considered within the scope of the Jury Commendation.

12.4

Projects which are submitted for consideration to the UNESCO Heritage Awards programme in the same year are not eligible for submission for the Jury Commendation.  Projects which are jointly submitted will be disqualified.

13.1

The recipients of the Jury Commendation will have conclusively demonstrated excellence in the following areas:
a. outstanding design concept that demonstrates critical thinking in articulating an innovative response to the specific historic context;
b. how well the new structure helps to reveal the qualities of the place, including historical, architectural, cultural, and social significance;
c. the compatibility and appropriateness of the new structure’s programme/function in its context;
d. how well the new structure integrates with the existing built and natural context.  Factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

• typology, siting, massing, form, scale, character, colour, texture

e. the justification of selection and quality control of materials and building techniques (either contemporary, vernacular or a combination of both);
f. the manner in which the process and the final product extend the local community’s cultural and social continuum;
g. the influence of the project on architectural practice and design policy locally, nationally, regionally or internationally; 

14.1

Entry Form
Each entry must be submitted with an official entry form together with the following materials.

14.2

Drawings

• Required: maps showing location of project in neighborhood, in city, in country
• Required: concept drawings in 2D and/or 3D explaining the ‘parti’ of the project
• Required: site plan, floor plans, sections, perspective(s).
• Required: elevation drawing(s), showing principal public façade and immediate neighboring buildings (if any).
• All drawings should be reduced to A4 size.

14.3

Photographs

• A minimum of 20 high-resolution color photographic prints measuring 5” x 7”, showing:
  a.  interior and exterior views and the overall appearance of the building (minimum 6 pairs of photographs)
  b.  details of the project, including materials and techniques used in the project.
• All photographs must be clearly labeled. Location of photographs should be indicated on a floor plan.

14.4

Project Description (in English)
A report of 6-8 pages (A4 sheets) should describe in detail each of the following points:

• synopsis of construction project (2 paragraphs maximum)
  • function/programme
  • construction phases and time frame
  • project size (in sq meters) and cost (in US $)
• description of the design concept, with reference to concept diagrams
• project’s goals and objectives (client’s brief)
• the background of the site (1 page maximum)
  • historical background
  • description of last structure that occupied the site (if any) and the date and justification of its demolition
  • context of the site (physical as well as socio-economic)
  • heritage/protection status of the area in which the building site is located
• project’s demonstration of the criteria for the Jury Commendation.  Please explain separately each criterion in Article 13.

The points of the project description should be well documented through text and linked to the submitted photographs and drawings. A sample report format is available from the UNESCO office or the Awards programme website. If possible, please submit text and images in electronic format (i.e. on diskette or CD-ROM) as well as hard copy.

14.5

Occupant Comments
See Article 9.5

14.6

Owner Consent
See Article 9.6

14.7

Additional Materials
See Article 9.7