The Nelson School of Music, by Irving Smith Architects and Ian Bowman Architect & Conservator in association was given an Award of Distinction at the 2019 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Also honoured with an Award of Merit was the Lyttelton Timeball Station, restored by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga in association with Dave Pearson Architects.

The Awards were held in Penang, Malaysia as part of the Asia-Pacific Heritage 20/20 Forum and celebrated 16 projects in total from five countries. The programme was established 20 years ago and aims to recognise successful restoration and conservation of heritage buildings. The organisers note, “By recognizing private efforts to restore and adapt historic properties, the Awards aim to encourage other property owners to undertake conservation projects within their communities, either independently or by seeking public-private partnerships.”

The jury noted of the Nelson School of Music, “External ornamentation was reintroduced using innovative materials, while the historic interiors were reinstated. Modern building systems and a new entry foyer were deftly inserted, blending in smoothly with the heritage character of the property. The project establishes a noteworthy model for seismic upgrades, which can be applied to other historic buildings.”

Of the second winning project from New Zealand, the judges commented, “The heroic reconstruction of New Zealand’s Lyttelton Timeball Station, following its massive destruction during the devastating 2010 earthquakes, has reinstated one of the few functioning timeball stations in the world. Sophisticated digital technology was employed in the stone-by-stone scanning, documentation and reassembly of the historic building components.”

Read more about all of the winning projects at the 2019 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation at bangkok.unesco.org.