A survey of terahertz applications in cultural heritage conservation science

The authors present a review of the advances that have been made to establish terahertz applications in the cultural heritage conservation sector over the last several years. This includes material spectroscopy, 2D and 3D imaging and tomographic studies, using a broad range of terahertz sources demonstrating the breadth and application of this burgeoning community.

Mobilising corporate social responsibility for world cultural heritage conservation

Through case studies and international surveys, this thesis investigates means to mobilise further corporate responsibility for World Cultural Heritage Conservation. It reveals a strong business case for support, based on the sustainable development benefits and shared value for all stakeholders and makes recommendations for using the findings to engage companies.

Heritage and dialogue : using heritage conservation to strengthen the defences of peace

The Preamble to UNESCO's 1945 Constitution asserted that wars are created in the minds of men and that it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be built. Exploring this proposition was vital in the post World-War II years, but it is equally critical in the 21st century when world efforts towards peace continue to be undermined by intense forms of nationalism and ethnic rivalries that commonly use cultural differences as a justification for conflict.

However, while strengthening intercultural dialogue underlies the creation of UNESCO, its flagship World Heritage program under the 1972 World Heritage Convention seems to be losing touch with this motivating principle. In this paper I explore the politicization of the program and argue that a re-focus is needed if the program is to serve in improving intercultural dialogue, understanding and tolerance, and ultimately peace.

To this end it is suggested that ways in which the World Heritage program might provide a stronger focus on dialogue-creation should be prioritized. These include giving priority to new transnational inscriptions and developing new stratagies for interpreting sites in more cross-culturally sensitive ways.

The importance and significance of heritage conservation of ex-tin mining landscape in Perak, the Abode of Grace

The thematic history of tin mining in Perak reveals the evolution of tin production, technology, infrastructure, transportation, social and the state economic development. The mining expansion that spread from Larut district to Kinta at the end of nineteenth century has distinctively impact on it's landscape. The surviving evidences that spread over Kinta demonstrates the importance and significance of conservation of ex-tin mining places. These surviving evidences are testimony of the past history and legacy for the present and future generations.

Beyond eurocentrism? Heritage conservation and the politics of difference

There is a long-standing debate concerning the suitability of European or ‘western’ approaches to the conservation of cultural heritage in other parts of world. The Cultural Charter for Africa (1976), The Burra Charter (1979) and Nara Document on Authenticity (1994) are notable manifestations of such concerns. These debates are particularly vibrant in Asia today. This article highlights a number of charters, declarations and publications that have been conceived to recalibrate the international field of heritage governance in ways that address the perceived inadequacies of documents underpinning today’s global conservation movement, such as the 1964 Venice Charter. But as Venice has come to stand as a metonym for a ‘western’ conservation approach, intriguing questions arise concerning what is driving these assertions of geographic, national or civilisational difference in Asia. To address such questions, the article moves between a number of explanatory frameworks. It argues declarations about Asia’s culture, its landscapes, and its inherited pasts are, in fact, the combined manifestations of post-colonial subjectivities, a desire for prestige on the global stage of cultural heritage governance and the practical challenges of actually doing conservation in the region.

Heritage conservation futures in an age of shifting global power

This article argues that international conservation and heritage governance are now entering new and historically important phases. The economic and political shifts that characterize globalization today are providing a platform for non-Western modes of heritage governance to gain newfound legitimacy on the international stage. With the appropriation of cultural heritage for commercial and political purposes occurring at all levels within the emerging economies of Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Africa, heritage conservation aid now plays an important role in the cultural diplomacy and soft power strategies of numerous countries in these regions. Analyses of the globalization of heritage governance in the mid–late 20th century have focused primarily on intergovernmental bodies, such as UNESCO, at the expense of critically reading the role nation-states continue to play in international conservation and heritage governance policy. Using examples from Asia, this paper addresses this imbalance by re-centering the nation-state in an account that argues the rise of heritage diplomacy, coupled with today’s shifting global order and ongoing reduction in UNESCO’s capacity, hold important implications for heritage conservation over the coming decades.

Heritage diplomacy and Australia’s responses to a shifting landscape of international conservation

The economic and political shifts that together constitute contemporary globalisation are opening up new spaces for non-Western modes of heritage governance in the international arena. Perhaps most notable here is the so-called rise of Asia, wherein a growing number of countries are investing heavily in a range of institutions and initiatives designed to provide cultural sector aid across the region. These new forms of heritage diplomacy hold significant implications for the governance of heritage at the global level, such that they promise to unsettle those structures and norms which emerged from Europe and North America and stabilised internationally over the course of the twentieth century. The paper explores such changes and some of the ways the Australian heritage conservation sector might respond to this rapidly shifting landscape of heritage diplomacy.

Re-strengthening 20th century architectural heritage : A case study of Brisbane City Hall restoration

Restoring old buildings to conform the current building policies and standards is a great challenge to engineers and architects. The restoration of the Brisbane City Hall, a heritage building listed by the State of Queensland in Australia, developed an innovative approach to upgrade the building using the method called ‘concrete overlay’ following the guidelines of both the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the Burra Charter of Australia. Concrete overlay is a new method of structural strengthening by drilling new reinforcement and placing new concrete on top of the existing structure, akin to a bone transplant or bone grafting in the case of a human being. This method is popularly used for newer bridges which have suffered load stresses. However, this method had never been used on any heritage buildings which were built on different conditions and standards. The compatibility of this method is currently being monitored. Most of the modern historic buildings are rapidly deteriorating and require immediate interventions in order to be saved. As most of these heritage buildings are on the stage of advanced deterioration, significant attempts are being made and several innovations are being applied to upgrade these structures to conform with the current building requirements. To date, the knowledge and literature in regarding ‘concrete cancer’ in relation to rehabilitating these reinforced concrete heritage structures is significantly lacking. It is hoped that the method of concrete overlay and the case study of Brisbane City Hall restoration will contribute to the development of restoration techniques and policies for Modern Heritage Buildings.

How to plan and implement an environmental education program for a conservation area : lessons from Australia and Borneo

The Augo Wetland Forest Park, along with other conservation areas around the world, provides an opportunity for a personal connection with the natural world - an opportunity for creating ways to convince people to reverse the degradation of the planet. In this presentation I use the settings approach, as used by the World Health Organisation in health promotion, as a framework. The WHO’s 1986 Ottawa Charter states that "Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play, and love." I argue that, similarly, a conservation area provides a setting for people to connect with environmental issues and can be the place where positive behaviours and actions for the environment are created and enacted. In a wired and virtual world, such settings may be the only opportunity some people, especially children, get to connect with the environment. An evidence-based, intentionally designed and implemented environmental education program enhances the opportunities for the personal connection and subsequent action. Planning and implementing an Environmental education program for a conservation area requires an understanding of the principles of three domains: • Environmental Communication • Environmental Education • Environmental Interpretation In this presentation I define these domains and demonstrate how they become interdependent within the context of a particular setting such as a conservation area. I outline the principles of each domain and demonstrate how they can be enacted with reference to environmental education program case studies from settings in Australia and Borneo. The first case study is based around a proposal for a planned residential community at Eden’s Crossing, in Brisbane’s high growth Western corridor. The setting featured a number of important natural and heritage conservation characteristics and the developer wanted to be pro-active in informing the market what this development aims to achieve in terms of innovative community and environmental objectives. By designing an education and interpretation program in line with best practice education and interpretation principles the developers would be assisted in their efforts to build community, preserve heritage, and facilitate environmentally sensitive lifestyles for the future residents of Eden’s Crossing. Above all, the strategy focused on advancing sustainability in a way that made the Eden’s Crossing greenfield development significantly greener. It did this by interacting with prospective purchasers, and building knowledge about sustainability with a view to shaping the future community of Eden’s Crossing in terms of attitudes and behaviours. The second case study is based around the development of the Rainforest Interpretation Centre (RIC), now renamed the Rainforest Discovery Centre, an environmental education facility managed by the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) and located at the edge of the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve in the East Malaysian state of Sabah (Borneo). This setting is of paramount importance for biodiversity conservation and research and a vital habitat for orang utan. As an Environmental Education Consultant I was tasked with developing an environmental education program for this setting as part of the SFD’s long- term strategy towards sustainable forest management. By employing the principles of Environmental Education and Environmental Interpretation I designed and implemented a program with three major components: • an environmental education component for visiting primary and secondary school groups. • an environmental education component for in-service and pre-service teachers and teacher educators. • a public awareness and environmental interpretation component which caters for the general public and tourists. From these modest beginnings the program has expanded and new facilities have been developed to meet the demands of visitors, teachers and students. The effectiveness of the program can be traced back to the grounding in the principles of best practice environmental education, communication and interpretation.

Sense of modern heritage

As the society matures, there was an increasing pressure to preserve historic buildings. The economic cost in maintaining these important heritage legacies has become the prime consideration of every state. Dedicated intelligent monitoring systems supplementing the traditional building inspections will enable the stakeholder to carry out not only timely reactive response but also plan the maintenance in a more vigilant approach; thus, preventing further degradation which was very costly and difficult to address if neglected. The application of the intelligent structural health monitoring system in this case studies of ‘modern heritage’ buildings is on its infancy but it is an innovative approach in building maintenance. ‘Modern heritage’ buildings were the product of technological change and were made of synthetic materials such as reinforced concrete and steel. Architectural buildings that was very common in Oceania and The Pacific. Engineering problems that arose from this type of building calls for immediate engineering solution since the deterioration rate is exponential. The application of this newly emerging monitoring system will improve the traditional maintenance system on heritage conservation. Savings in time and resources can be achieved if only pathological results were on hand. This case study will validate that approach. This publication will serve as a position paper to the on-going research regarding application of (Structural Health Monitoring) SHM systems to heritage buildings in Brisbane, Australia. It will be investigated with the application of the SHM systems and devices to validate the integrity of the recent structural restoration of the newly re-strengthened heritage building, the Brisbane City Hall.

Using an ‘interpretative model’ for contextual design of heritage landscape databases: The case of St Helena Island National Park in Queensland, Australia

Due to the increasing speed of landscape changes and the massive development of computer technologies, the methods of representing heritage landscapes using digital tools have become a worldwide concern in conservation research. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how an ‘interpretative model’ can be used for contextual design of heritage landscape information systems. This approach is explored through building a geographic information system database for St Helena Island national park in Moreton Bay, South East Queensland, Australia. Stakeholders' interpretations of this landscape were collected through interviews, and then used as a framework for designing the database. The designed database is a digital inventory providing contextual descriptions of the historic infrastructure remnants on St Helena Island. It also reveals the priorities of different sites in terms of historic research, landscape restoration, and tourism development. Additionally, this database produces thematic maps of the intangible heritage values, which could be used for landscape interpretation. This approach is different from the existing methods because building a heritage information system is deemed as an interpretative activity, rather than a value-free replication of the physical environment. This approach also shows how a cultural landscape methodology can be used to create a flexible information system for heritage conservation. The conclusion is that an ‘interpretative model’ of database design facilitates a more explicit focus on information support, and is a potentially effective approach to user-centred design of geographic information systems.

Heritage

This article examines the concepts, definitions, policies, and practices of heritage in a contemporary context. Within recent years, there have been significant shifts in our understandings and applications of heritage concepts and policies in the modern world. ‘Heritage’ emerged as a buzz word in international policy arenas in the 1980s and early 1990s, and has since weathered the vagaries of turbulent definitional and governance–nomenclature storms, as traditional debates about ‘what it is and what it is not’ reverberate around academia and state agencies alike. Policy and funding structures for heritage are determined by the classifications used to define them in various countries. Typically, reference is made to ‘built heritage’, ‘natural heritage’, and ‘intangible heritage’, loosely reflecting buildings, landscapes, and culture. Aspects of heritage are used by the cultural and tourism industries to add economic value, through heritage tourism sites, museums, and other activities. The cultural tourism product is often anchored around notions of heritage, and in postmodern, post-tourist societies, boundaries between culture, (travel) space, and identities are increasingly blurred. Issues of authenticity become important in the representation of heritage, and questions are asked about the validity of nostalgia versus realism. The role of heritage is examined in the context of identity formulation at individual and nation-state levels, and the political aspects of this are also discussed. Finally, heritage conservation is assessed through an examination of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site listing and protection strategy. In a changing world, new constructs of heritage, identity, authenticity, and representation will continue to emerge as meanings are constantly renegotiated over time and space.