Dubai plans show on architectural trends

Hussain Nasser Lootah, Acting Director-General of Dubai Municipality, made the remark at a Press conference organised on Wednesday to announce details of the second International Conference and Exhibition on ‘Architectural Conservation: Opportunities and Challenges in 21st Century’, scheduled to be held in Dubai during February next year.

He noted that the conference, which would discuss vital global issues concerning architectural conservation, comes as an initiative of the municipality to facilitate exchange of expertise and practical knowledge in this unique field.

The conference and exhibition would have a general theme and discussions at the event would focus on how to set new trends in architectural conservation while overcoming the challenges it faces in the modern era .

The event follows the successful conduct of a similar event two years ago which recommended organising the conference once every two years. At the Press conference, the municipality also signed a contract with Index Conferences and Exhibitions Organisation Establishment to organise the event for the next five sessions over a period of 10 years.

Rashad Bukhash, Director of General Projects Department at the municipality and Chairman of the Conference Organising Committee, said preparations for the conference were already under way and experts from nearly 118 countries have been invited so far. They include academicians from 75 universities worldwide.

He said the organising committee is already in touch with international organisations such as the Unesco, International Council of Museums (ICOM), International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), International Organisation for Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ICCROM), English Heritage, and the Arab Towns Organisation.

“We are also in touch with the diplomatic missions of various countries in the UAE in order to invite people at the helm of architectural heritage conservation in their respective countries to participate in the conference,” he said.

So far, some 202 abstracts and 95 researches were received from 36 countries. An international specialist jury comprising experts from 11 countries will choose the papers that meet the conference criteria and announce the same through the conference web site: www.dubaiconservation.com.

Ahmed Mahmood, Head of Historical Buildings Section and General Co-ordinator of the conference, said some of the topics to be discussed in the second conference would include policies of architectural conservation, concepts of sustainable development, problems of architectural heritage in the modern environment, formulating strategic objectives for development, strategies for tourism development in historic areas, public participation in heritage conservation programmes, and the importance of historic areas in the formation of modern economic and social communities.