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Heritage 2011
Conservation of Architecture, Urban Areas, Nature & Landscape: Towards a Sustainable Survival of Cultural Landscape


Organized by
The Center for the Study of Architecture in the Arab Region, Jordan
Al-Turath Foundation, Saudi Arabia

In collaboration with
Queen Rania Institute of Tourism and Heritage, Hashemite University, Jordan



Introduction

Built and natural environments are ultimately and collectively tangible records of history and as “heritage” belong to time. Conservation, in its broadest sense, is concerned with the assessment of these environments in order to make it relevant for the present and ensure its survival in the future. At present, different legislative bodies are involved in promoting the conservation of the built and natural environments with minimal consideration of the interconnections between the two areas of conservation. A critical discussion regarding confluence of built and natural heritage in promoting the notion of “cultural landscape” is essential to further and more comprehensively develop the field of conservation.
The proposed Heritage 2011 conference will bridge the fields of architectural and environmental conservation. It aspires to bring together scholars from multiple disciplines and focus on conservation ethics as an essential component of environmental design within existing urban settings. As cities in the region grow and evolve at an unprecedented rapid pace, reversing the threats facing historic cultural landscape requires rethinking of the field of conservation.

Cultural landscapes can encompass vast and diverse areas, which are usually administered by different territorial and specialized authorities (e.g. the Ministries of Culture, Housing, Urban Planning, Tourism, Environment, Agriculture, Water Resources etc.). Therefore, the different national and local authorities responsible for zoning, infrastructure development, environmental and architectural conservation must establish effective co-ordination and define appropriate management tools to preserve authentic features of cultural landscapes. Integrity of the relationship between natural and built (cultural) environments is essential for sustainable conservation, making it a shared responsibility.

In recent decades, most practitioners and professional networks of conventional approaches to heritage conservation have limited their foci to only one or two of the following scales: interior building and building; building and site; site and neighbourhood; and neighbourhood, landscape and metropolitan region. Today, with increasingly complex and daunting environmental change, more holistic approaches to responding to conservation needs require thinking and operating at these four scales or more. Several disciplines must take part in giving a new lease of life to historic buildings and sites. Archaeologists excavate layers of history to piece together and reconstruct the social and cultural life of a past civilization. Architects investigate what these artifacts mean to the diverse stakeholders in the present to develop a comprehensive conservation plan. Conservationists document, interpret and pursue a course of action to preserve, restore, or conserve the physical aspects of significant monuments. Curators ensure the appropriate restoration and public display of artworks associated with these monuments. Conservation of cultural heritage thus pursued can promote sustainable survival of the built and natural environments.

Topics of Interest

For the professional community to engage meaningfully in conservation of the cultural landscape, responsibilities and opportunities revolving around these activities need to be recalled, analyzed, and articulated. The conference addresses the cultural landscape theme through main program, the subject of this announcement; and through a special program, the subject of a separate announcement for the conference on Digital Media and its Applications in Cultural Heritage (See website: https://csaar-center.org/conference/DMACH2011) The main program has the five research tracks below. We invite practitioners, educators, and researchers from the fields of architectural and environmental conservation to develop a paper in any of the topics listed under the theme tracks.

Conservation Ethics (theories, histories, legislature)
 • Conservation ethics in architectural, landscape and urban design
• Religious organizations (e.g. waqf) as a conservation management system
• Environmental regulations and conservation of natural resources
• Development policies and urban conservation of historic areas
• Building construction regulations and building restoration practice
• Conservation principles out of conservation philosophies
• Significance assessment of architectural cultural resources
• International standards concerning the protection, the management and the promotion of heritage sites
• Intervention or treatment types
• Conservation standards and guidelines
• Jurisdictional context of conservation and ensuing politics
• Conservation legislation, laws, and public policy
• The economic and financial faces of conservation
• Authority and decision-making in discharging conservation service
• International comparisons and collaborations
• Heritage sites and tourism
• Attending to heritage across the Mediterranean
• Designating “protected conservation areas”

Research and Design in Conservation of Cultural Landscapes
• Established and emerging types of cultural resources
• Historic preservation versus archaeological conservation
• Research trends in the field of cultural landscape conservation
• Heritage messages and their expression in architectural design forms
• Conservation principles, standards, and guidelines in architectural practice
• Adaptive re-use design process
• Additions to historic buildings
• Design of protective structures for the conservation and presentation of archaeological sites
• Construction documents for rehabilitation and restoration projects
• Cases and comparisons

Conservation of the Built Environment (architecture and urban areas)
• Integrated Urban and Territorial Conservation
• Physical decay, structural failure, and deterioration of buildings
• Conservation of earthen architecture
• Humidity in buildings (diagnosis and remedies)
• Building restoration and energy conservation
• Authenticity and accuracy in restoration and reconstruction
• Living heritage: Case studies in community based architectural and urban conservation
• The reconstruction of heritage buildings and sites
• De-restoration of historic buildings

Conservation of the Natural Environment (wilderness, rural and landscaped sites)
• Landscape scale conservation
• Ecosystem restoration
• Environmental conservation and conflict resolution
• Reconciliation ecology, biodiversity and wildlife corridors
• Wetland agri-environments, reforestation and habitat conservation
• Endangered building materials and restoration, reconstruction and reconstitution of historic architecture

Conservation Education, Information, and Technologies
• Decoding conservation terminology in the region
• Heritage conservation education, training, and professional enhancement
• The place of heritage and conservation in architecture, design, and engineering curricula
• Historic site presentation and public education
• Approaches for the identification and documentation of historic buildings and environments
• Survey techniques in archaeology
• The word, the drawing, and the image media in service of heritage and conservation
• Data acquisition and recording techniques associated with buildings and cultural districts
• low-cost systems for documentation and monitoring of cultural heritage
• New materials and technologies for conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage

Important Dates

Full paper submission for review: October 15, 2010 *
Notification of acceptance:  December 20, 2010
Deadline for final papers: January 30, 2011
* Extended deadline  

Late Paper Submission

Papers may still be accepted for oral presentation shortly before the conference takes place. We will do our best to consider papers submitted on or before October 15, 2010 in the review process. It may not however, always be possible to include late Papers in the Conference Proceedings. 

Abstract Submission

Abstract submissions should be approximately 500 words and must be in English. Abstract and full paper submissions should be sent in MS Word or PDF document format. You are asked to identify the research track for your paper. Abstracts should be e-mailed to scientific committee co-chairs (). Full paper submissions are required to be done online at csaar submission and review system following the link below. Submissions will be peer reviewed.

Full Paper Submission and Format

For full paper format and submission guidelines, click here>>.
On-line paper submission system is open now >>

Posters, Panel Discussion & Workshops

The conference also welcomes proposals for:
* Poster papers
* Plenary Session/ Panel Discussion
* Workshops
  
Proposals may address any of the topics falling within the scope of the conference themes.
Schedule (for Posters & Workshops Proposals)
Proposals due: August 15, 2010
Notification of Acceptance: October 15, 2010
Position papers due (panels): December 15, 2010

General Note: Workshops and Panel Proposals should be submitted by e-mail to Conference Secretariat Sami Kamal (sami @ csaar-center.org)

Instructions for submitting proposals for Poster Papers, Workshops and Panel Discussion is available HERE>> .

Conference Fees and Registration

Authors are invited to complete the registration process before Janaury 30, 2011. Deadline for authors to send registration fees is February  5. Failing to send the registration fees on or before this date will result in excluding the paper from the proceedings.
Click here for Online Registration >>.

Conference Proceedings

All papers accepted for publication will be published in a conference proceedings, which will be available to delegates at the time of registration. In addition, papers will be published in a volume of CSAAR Transactions on the Built Environment (ISSN 1992-7320).

Best Paper Award (3 Awards)

The Best Paper Award is presented to the individual(s) judged by a separate awards committee to have written the best paper appearing in the conference proceedings. The Award shall be 300 USD and a certificate. In case there is more than one author for the paper, the award shall be divided equally among all authors and each shall receive a certificate. Judging shall be on the bases of general quality, originality, subject matter, and timeliness.

Location & Accommodation

Amman is the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a city of 2.5 inhabitants, and the administrative capital and commercial center of Jordan.
Amman, the modern and ancient capital of Jordan, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Amman is located in a hilly area of north-western Jordan. The city was originally built on seven hills, but it now spans over an area of nineteen hills (each known as a jabal or "mountain"). The main areas of Amman gain their names from the hills and mountains on whose slopes they lie. The seven hills of Amman are an enchanting mixture of ancient and modern. In the commercial heart of the city, ultra-modern buildings, hotels, smart restaurants, art galleries and boutiques rub shoulders comfortably with traditional coffee shops and tiny artisans' workshops. Everywhere there is evidence of the city’s much older past. Sunset is perhaps the best time to enjoy Amman, as the white buildings of the city seem to glow in the fading warmth of the day. 
Information regarding conference venue, accommodation and travel is available Here >>.
 

Excursion

For those who might be interested to extend their stay in Jordan to discover the undisclosed corners of the country, we strongly recommend the post-conference excursions, on Wednesday March 16, 2011.

Tour One: Petra (one of seven wonders)
Tour Two: Deccapolis
Tour Three: Mt. Nebo – Maqdas – Dead Sea

Click HERE for more details about Excursions >>

Registration: To pre-register for any of the above tours, please email
Each tour has limited seats. To confirm your participation, please send registration fees as soon as possible. Click HERE for registration >>

Conference Secretary

Mr. Sami Kamal
sami @ csaar-center.org