The Phraya Si Thammathirat Residence in Bangkok has received the Award of Merit from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The restoration of the early-20th-century residence in Bangkok’s Pathumwan district is “a prime example of multiple stakeholder commitment to the preservation of a building with significant heritage value,” according to a statement on the website of the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.
The owner, Thailand’s Crown Property Bureau, and tenant, the Thai-Chinese Education and Culture Foundation, enlisted conservation experts to research the history of the building, a process that shed light on the broader context of the heritage site and revealed its Arts and Crafts-style decoration, notably a suite of intricate mural paintings and decorative elements, it said.
The project renewed the landscape setting and exterior finishes and reinstated the rich interior treatment of the former private house, which is now housing the Sitabutr Bamrung School.
After restoration, the property enjoys “a vibrant role as a centre for cultural exchange and education for the Thai-Chinese community.”
Four other projects from Australia, India, New Zealand and Singapore have also been given the Awards of Merit, one of the five categories of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
A panel of international conservation experts met in June to review 46 entries from across the Asia-Pacific region, the statement said.
Andrew Batt, International Group Editor of PropertyGuru Group, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email andrew@propertyguru.com.sg
