UNESCO and New World Development Company to co-host inaugural International Symposium on Heritage Conservation in Hong Kong

The themed inaugural symposium, ‘When Innovation Empowers Heritage Conservation’, will will bring together foreign government officials, leading experts and mainland scholars to share examples of heritage conservation in the mainland and overseas, and explore the way forward for heritage conservation in Hong Kong.

Bangkok, 11 May 2023 – UNESCO and New World Development Company Limited are delighted to announce their co-hosting of an inaugural Heritage Innovation Symposium, which will take place in Hong Kong on 15 June 2023. The Symposium titled ‘When Innovation Empowers Heritage Conservation’ will also provide an update on the conservation project of the State Theatre, a Grade I historic building in North Point.

The Symposium is co-organized by UNESCO Bangkok, New World Development, and NWD’s non-profit organization Culture For Tomorrow, and supported by the University of Hong Kong; the Faculty of Architecture at Hong Kong University; and the Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationists. The Symposium will be officiated by Feng Jing, Chief of the Culture Unit at UNESCO Bangkok; Adrian Cheng, CEO of New World Development; Bernadette Linn, Secretary for Development; Ivanhoe Chang, Commissioner for Heritage; and Douglas So, Chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board. Speakers include Tan Huey Jiun, Director of Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore; Geoff Rich, Architect and Managing Partner at FCB Studios; and Jie Zhang, of the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Professor Zhang will share his experiences in the conservation project of the historic Jingdezhen Pengjia Alley Compound at Jiangxi, China. The project has received an Award of Distinction in UNESCO’s 2021 Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Geoff Rich will speak about the conservation of the East Court of Alexandra Palace in London, U.K.. Its East Wing Restoration Project, involving the reopening of a historic theatre, was named one of the national winners at the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Awards in 2019. The Symposium will also feature in-depth discussion among speakers on innovations and upcoming trends in heritage conservation.

The Symposium welcomes industry professionals and is open to the public. Interested parties can visit the event website at https://www.culturefortomorrow.org/events/heritage-innovation-symposium-2023-when-innovation-empowers-heritage-conservation/ for more information and registration.

Symposium Preliminary Agenda

For further information:

Injee Kim, Consultant, Culture Unit, UNESCO Bangkok: i.kim(at)unesco.org