Restoring Ruins to Their Former Glory: Bangkok’s Royal Ancient Temple Wins UNESCO Award

By Chen Guanxin, compiled and reported

The list of winners for the 2011 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation has been announced, with three projects from Thailand receiving either the Award of Merit or Honourable Mention. The scripture hall of Bangkok’s Thepthidaram Worawihan Temple, which won the Award of Merit, was once in a state of severe disrepair. Thanks to the use of traditional craftsmanship and materials, along with the joint efforts of temple staff, various communities, and local residents, the restoration has been fully completed, transforming the dilapidated structure into a magnificent royal temple heritage site. In addition, the Honourable Mention awards went to the Na Phra Lan Historic Shophouses in Bangkok and the Salarian Pavilion of Wat Kud Ta in Songkhla Province.

The Na Phra Lan Historic Shophouses face Bangkok’s iconic landmark—the Grand Palace. The restoration of these historic shophouses also helped revive the surrounding historical streetscape by removing inappropriate modern elements and restoring the historic aesthetic of the old street, while meeting the goals of modernization and sustainable use.

The Salarian Pavilion of Wat Kud Ta in Songkhla Province was primarily restored by local craftsmen using traditional materials and unique local techniques, reviving the traditional appearance of an 18th-century wooden pavilion that had nearly become a ruin. With the completion of the Salarian Pavilion’s renovation, local cultural heritage has gradually gained more attention, enabling other historical structures within the temple to also be restored.

The 2011 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation received applications for 34 sites from 10 countries across the Asia-Pacific region, including museums, hotels, cultural institutions, educational facilities, religious sites, public buildings, residential architecture, and urban areas. To qualify for the awards, the submitted sites must be over 50 years old and have undergone conservation work within the past 10 years. Additionally, the buildings must have been in use for at least one year prior to the announcement of the awards.

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