Organizing committee for Architectural Conservation Conference formed

Eng. Rashad Bukhash, Director of General Projects Department, was chosen as chairman of the committee.

The committee also includes Mohammed Al Noori, Head of Advertisement Section, Yousif Murad, Head of Public Relations Section, Salah Al Qaiwani, Head of Specialised Contracts & Investment Section, Eng. Ahmed Mahmood, Head Of Historical Buildings Section, Aref Abbas,Assistant Head of Treasury Section, Abdulrahman AlKhaja, Head of General Services unit, Bader Al Ali, Head of Renovation Projects Design Unit, Zakeya Mosa, Head of Internal Design Unit, Dr.Mohammed Amin, Head of Studies & Research Unit, and Eng. Mohammed Amer, Architect in the Historical Buildings Section.

The committee will be responsible for preparing and organizing the conference and the exhibition, choosing its venue and planning the activities and the programmes for the conference.

The committee will also undertake the task of publishing the research and work papers to be presented in the conference.

The conference and exhibition will have a general theme "The Opportunites and Challenges of the 21st Century", as discussions at the event will focus on how to set new trends in architectural conservation while overcoming the challenges it faces in the modern era.

Preparations for the conference, to be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre, are already underway and experts from nearly 118 countries have been invited so far. They include academicians from 75 universities worldwide.

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.

There will be also discussions on strategies for heritage protection through valuable and original concepts, level of participation in the architectural conservation policies, use of advanced technologies in preserving historical buildings, and historical buildings preservation projects and open areas in the centres of historical cities.