Awarded Projects

2022 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation

3 projects from 6 countries – Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal and Thailand – have been acknowledged for awards by an international jury in this year’s Awards programme. Jury deliberations were carried out in November 2022, when members reviewed a total of 50 entries from 11 countries from across the Asia-Pacific region.

The complete list of 2022 awarded projects comprises: 

Award of Excellence
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, Mumbai, India 

Award of Distinction 
Stepwells of Golconda, Hyderabad, India
Zarch Qanat, Yazd, Iran 
Neilson Hays Library, Bangkok, Thailand 

Award of Merit
Topdara Stupa, Charikar, Afghanistan 
Nantian Buddhist Temple, Fujian, China 
Domakonda Fort, Telangana, India 
Byculla Station, Mumbai, India 
Sadoughi House, Yazd, Iran 
25 Chivas in Kathmandu, Nepal 

Special Recognition for Sustainable Development
West Guizhou Lilong Neighborhood, Shanghai, China 

Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts
M30 Integrated Infrastructure for Power Supply and Waste Collection, Macao SAR, China
Xiaoxihu Block, Nanjing, China

‘The Awards are able to give people a sense of pride and sense of ownership of their own heritage’, said Mr Feng Jing, Chief of Culture Unit at UNESCO Bangkok. ‘It is encouraging to see the increased number of entries received this year, given that we are still in recovery period from the global COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s submissions have once again brought up interesting discussions regarding the trends in cultural heritage in the Asia-Pacific region. We are seeing a greater attention to cultural landscapes including heritage infrastructure systems that are very compatible with a sustainable development approach to our cities and rural areas.’

The jury applauded the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum project for restoring ‘a major civic institution in the historic city of Mumbai’. The jury noted, ‘Impressive in its scale, the project addressed extensive deterioration through well-informed architectural and engineering solutions, overcoming major challenges during the pandemic.’ The jury further remarked, ‘Executed to the highest level of technical excellence, the project sets a standard for the conservation of World Heritage monuments in India and beyond.’