Roha W Khalaf
Biographic Data
| ID | 3066307 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Roha W Khalaf |
| GIVEN NAMES | Roha W |
| FAMILY NAME | Khalaf |
| SIGNATURE | KHALAF R W |
| AFFILIATIONS | Consultant Architect and Independent Scholar, Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5779-7079 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 29 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Periodic Reporting under the World Heritage Convention
Periodic reporting begins with an information gathering exercise about the application of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention at national and property levels. A State Party fills a questionnaire, consisting of two sections, to complete this exercise. The questionnaire does not deal with loss despite its attention to current and potential negative factors, such as climate change. However, it can be revised during a ‘reflection period’ before a ne…
Integrity
Armed conflicts, climate change, natural hazard-related disasters such as earthquakes, and other threats, can have deleterious effects on the integrity of cultural and natural heritage; yet, the notion of integrity, as applied to cultural heritage in particular, has received little attention, not least in the World Heritage system, which is the principal disseminator of heritage discourses, policies, and practices. Curiously, concern for loss of …
A Proposal to Operationalise the Concept of Compatibility in World Heritage Climate Change Policy
Since Decision 29 COM 7B.a of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2005, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies have been tackling the threats posed by climate change to cultural and natural World Heritage properties. Great attention is paid to impacts and projected risks, and hence vulnerability assessment, risk preparedness, awareness raising, monitoring, adaptation and mitigation, but very little attention is paid to development i…
World Heritage on the Move
At a time when climate change, conflicts, disasters, and other global crises and challenges are increasingly affecting World Heritage properties, the utility of conservation assessment standards must be rethought. This article proposes abandoning the assessment of authenticity to treat properties less as “things”, deemed authentic or not, and more as evolving “processes” that embrace continuity and compatible change, which, it is argued, helps me…
Cultural Heritage Reconstruction after Armed Conflict
Post-conflict reconstruction is caught in a web of challenges, dilemmas, and opportunities. It can re-establish the thread of continuity with a pre-conflict time and change people’s conditions for the better in line with twenty-first century roadmaps. Notable among these are the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Aligning reconstruction plans with principles of Build Back Better…
The Implementation of the Unesco World Heritage Convention
This article explores the nexus between integrity, continuity, and compatibility (compatible change) in the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Integrity is a measure by which the Advisory Bodies, namely the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), evaluate nominations of cultural and/or natural properties to determine whether they qualify for inscript…
Authenticity or Continuity in the Implementation of the Unesco World Heritage Convention? Scrutinizing Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, 1978–2019
Continuity is a key theme in conservation and one that appears in the text of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, which requests States Parties to continue to protect, conserve and present properties situated on their territories (Article 26). Despite this fact, it is not put into effect. Instead, the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of this Convention retain authenticity as a benchmark for assessing cultural heritage. This article…
Continuity
If a World Heritage property does not continue to have Outstanding Universal Value, it ceases to be World Heritage. ‘Continuity’ is a fundamental concept, yet the Operational Guidelines (OG) do not recognize its great practical utility. This article argues that this concept should be operationalized to help resolve significant issues and challenges facing the World Heritage system. In particular, replacing authenticity with continuity in the OG c…
A Proposal to Apply the Historic Urban Landscape Approach to Reconstruction in the World Heritage Context
Sir Patrick Geddes remarked that a city is a living organism, which experiences birth, growth, maturity, decline, decay and rebirth. It is a palimpsest in the urban landscape, a historic layering of human interventions. Some layers may remain in good physical condition, while others may deteriorate or vanish due to different factors such as ageing, neglect, natural disasters or armed conflicts. The unfortunate destruction of districts and cities,…
Roadmap for the Nomination of Reconstructed Cultural Properties for Inscription on the Unesco World Heritage List
Guidance on reconstruction is being prepared to implement recent decisions of the World Heritage (WH) Committee. Special attention is given to reconstruction post-inscription within the framework of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of destroyed cultural WH properties. However, guidance must also cover reconstruction pre-inscription because destroyed properties on the Tentative Lists of States Parties may be reconstructed and nominated for in…
World Heritage policy on reconstruction
International heritage doctrine and the Operational Guidelines (OG) for the Implementation of the World Heritage (WH) Convention discourage the reconstruction of cultural heritage. Only ‘exceptional circumstances’ justify this practice, namely armed conflicts and natural disasters. The UNESCO WH Committee recently expressed its support for the reconstruction of damaged WH properties in view of such circumstances and requested the development of n…
A viewpoint on the reconstruction of destroyed Unesco Cultural World Heritage Sites
The destruction of UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Sites (WHS) in conflict zones is devastating and continues to spark heated debate on reconstruction. Craft skills and construction materials can reinstate lost physical fabric. Communities who identify with WHS can ascribe meanings and values to the new fabric, thereby reclaiming their heritage. However, it is difficult to retrieve Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including authenticity and inte…
The search for the meaning of ‘compatibility’ between new construction and heritage in historic areas
A review of the literature shows that new construction should be compatible with heritage in historic areas. International standard-setting instruments, national/local conservation policies and other publications are available to guide applicants and evaluators who, respectively, submit and assess proposals for new construction. Many place emphasis on visual and/or tangible design indicators such as form, materials and scale, but overlook evolvin…
Distinguishing new architecture from old
Practitioners in the heritage field are continuously attempting to reconcile the conservation of cultural heritage and the insertion of new buildings in the historic environment. According to codes of good practice, new architecture should be compatible with, yet distinct from, old architecture. This rule of intervention may seem contradictory, but compatibility and distinction are actually two sides of the same coin. Having examined the meaning …
Architectural compatibility beyond the eye of the beholder
Purpose This paper revisits the concept of compatibility between old and new architecture to clarify its meaning. Design/methodology/approach Document analysis is employed to critically review relevant literature, including Charters and UNESCO Recommendations. Findings Visual and/or tangible indicators such as forms and materials are often suggested in the literature to determine compatibility and to inform decision makers whether new architectur…
Traditional vs modern Arabian morphologies
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the component attributes of an Arabian city, caught between tradition and modernization, with focus on their reactions to climate and religion. Design/methodology/approach A platform of comparison between Old Kuwait Town and Kuwait City is provided while showing the effects of oil money on the city's urban morphology. The paper's first section describes the emergence of the Islamic city in the Arab…
Continuity
If a World Heritage property does not continue to have Outstanding Universal Value, it ceases to be World Heritage. ‘Continuity’ is a fundamental concept, yet the Operational Guidelines (OG) do not recognize its great practical utility. This article argues that this concept should be operationalized to help resolve significant issues and challenges facing the World Heritage system. In particular, replacing authenticity with continuity in the OG c…
A viewpoint on the reconstruction of destroyed Unesco Cultural World Heritage Sites
The destruction of UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Sites (WHS) in conflict zones is devastating and continues to spark heated debate on reconstruction. Craft skills and construction materials can reinstate lost physical fabric. Communities who identify with WHS can ascribe meanings and values to the new fabric, thereby reclaiming their heritage. However, it is difficult to retrieve Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including authenticity and inte…
Authenticity or Continuity in the Implementation of the Unesco World Heritage Convention? Scrutinizing Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, 1978–2019
Continuity is a key theme in conservation and one that appears in the text of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, which requests States Parties to continue to protect, conserve and present properties situated on their territories (Article 26). Despite this fact, it is not put into effect. Instead, the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of this Convention retain authenticity as a benchmark for assessing cultural heritage. This article…
World Heritage policy on reconstruction
International heritage doctrine and the Operational Guidelines (OG) for the Implementation of the World Heritage (WH) Convention discourage the reconstruction of cultural heritage. Only ‘exceptional circumstances’ justify this practice, namely armed conflicts and natural disasters. The UNESCO WH Committee recently expressed its support for the reconstruction of damaged WH properties in view of such circumstances and requested the development of n…
The Implementation of the Unesco World Heritage Convention
This article explores the nexus between integrity, continuity, and compatibility (compatible change) in the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Integrity is a measure by which the Advisory Bodies, namely the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), evaluate nominations of cultural and/or natural properties to determine whether they qualify for inscript…
Roadmap for the Nomination of Reconstructed Cultural Properties for Inscription on the Unesco World Heritage List
Guidance on reconstruction is being prepared to implement recent decisions of the World Heritage (WH) Committee. Special attention is given to reconstruction post-inscription within the framework of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of destroyed cultural WH properties. However, guidance must also cover reconstruction pre-inscription because destroyed properties on the Tentative Lists of States Parties may be reconstructed and nominated for in…
Traditional vs modern Arabian morphologies
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the component attributes of an Arabian city, caught between tradition and modernization, with focus on their reactions to climate and religion. Design/methodology/approach A platform of comparison between Old Kuwait Town and Kuwait City is provided while showing the effects of oil money on the city's urban morphology. The paper's first section describes the emergence of the Islamic city in the Arab…
The search for the meaning of ‘compatibility’ between new construction and heritage in historic areas
A review of the literature shows that new construction should be compatible with heritage in historic areas. International standard-setting instruments, national/local conservation policies and other publications are available to guide applicants and evaluators who, respectively, submit and assess proposals for new construction. Many place emphasis on visual and/or tangible design indicators such as form, materials and scale, but overlook evolvin…
Distinguishing new architecture from old
Practitioners in the heritage field are continuously attempting to reconcile the conservation of cultural heritage and the insertion of new buildings in the historic environment. According to codes of good practice, new architecture should be compatible with, yet distinct from, old architecture. This rule of intervention may seem contradictory, but compatibility and distinction are actually two sides of the same coin. Having examined the meaning …
Architectural compatibility beyond the eye of the beholder
Purpose This paper revisits the concept of compatibility between old and new architecture to clarify its meaning. Design/methodology/approach Document analysis is employed to critically review relevant literature, including Charters and UNESCO Recommendations. Findings Visual and/or tangible indicators such as forms and materials are often suggested in the literature to determine compatibility and to inform decision makers whether new architectur…
A viewpoint on the reconstruction of destroyed Unesco Cultural World Heritage Sites
The destruction of UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Sites (WHS) in conflict zones is devastating and continues to spark heated debate on reconstruction. Craft skills and construction materials can reinstate lost physical fabric. Communities who identify with WHS can ascribe meanings and values to the new fabric, thereby reclaiming their heritage. However, it is difficult to retrieve Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including authenticity and inte…
A Proposal to Apply the Historic Urban Landscape Approach to Reconstruction in the World Heritage Context
Sir Patrick Geddes remarked that a city is a living organism, which experiences birth, growth, maturity, decline, decay and rebirth. It is a palimpsest in the urban landscape, a historic layering of human interventions. Some layers may remain in good physical condition, while others may deteriorate or vanish due to different factors such as ageing, neglect, natural disasters or armed conflicts. The unfortunate destruction of districts and cities,…
Roadmap for the Nomination of Reconstructed Cultural Properties for Inscription on the Unesco World Heritage List
Guidance on reconstruction is being prepared to implement recent decisions of the World Heritage (WH) Committee. Special attention is given to reconstruction post-inscription within the framework of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of destroyed cultural WH properties. However, guidance must also cover reconstruction pre-inscription because destroyed properties on the Tentative Lists of States Parties may be reconstructed and nominated for in…
World Heritage policy on reconstruction
International heritage doctrine and the Operational Guidelines (OG) for the Implementation of the World Heritage (WH) Convention discourage the reconstruction of cultural heritage. Only ‘exceptional circumstances’ justify this practice, namely armed conflicts and natural disasters. The UNESCO WH Committee recently expressed its support for the reconstruction of damaged WH properties in view of such circumstances and requested the development of n…
Continuity
If a World Heritage property does not continue to have Outstanding Universal Value, it ceases to be World Heritage. ‘Continuity’ is a fundamental concept, yet the Operational Guidelines (OG) do not recognize its great practical utility. This article argues that this concept should be operationalized to help resolve significant issues and challenges facing the World Heritage system. In particular, replacing authenticity with continuity in the OG c…
Cultural Heritage Reconstruction after Armed Conflict
Post-conflict reconstruction is caught in a web of challenges, dilemmas, and opportunities. It can re-establish the thread of continuity with a pre-conflict time and change people’s conditions for the better in line with twenty-first century roadmaps. Notable among these are the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Aligning reconstruction plans with principles of Build Back Better…
The Implementation of the Unesco World Heritage Convention
This article explores the nexus between integrity, continuity, and compatibility (compatible change) in the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Integrity is a measure by which the Advisory Bodies, namely the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), evaluate nominations of cultural and/or natural properties to determine whether they qualify for inscript…
Authenticity or Continuity in the Implementation of the Unesco World Heritage Convention? Scrutinizing Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, 1978–2019
Continuity is a key theme in conservation and one that appears in the text of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, which requests States Parties to continue to protect, conserve and present properties situated on their territories (Article 26). Despite this fact, it is not put into effect. Instead, the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of this Convention retain authenticity as a benchmark for assessing cultural heritage. This article…
A Proposal to Operationalise the Concept of Compatibility in World Heritage Climate Change Policy
Since Decision 29 COM 7B.a of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2005, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies have been tackling the threats posed by climate change to cultural and natural World Heritage properties. Great attention is paid to impacts and projected risks, and hence vulnerability assessment, risk preparedness, awareness raising, monitoring, adaptation and mitigation, but very little attention is paid to development i…
World Heritage on the Move
At a time when climate change, conflicts, disasters, and other global crises and challenges are increasingly affecting World Heritage properties, the utility of conservation assessment standards must be rethought. This article proposes abandoning the assessment of authenticity to treat properties less as “things”, deemed authentic or not, and more as evolving “processes” that embrace continuity and compatible change, which, it is argued, helps me…
Periodic Reporting under the World Heritage Convention
Periodic reporting begins with an information gathering exercise about the application of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention at national and property levels. A State Party fills a questionnaire, consisting of two sections, to complete this exercise. The questionnaire does not deal with loss despite its attention to current and potential negative factors, such as climate change. However, it can be revised during a ‘reflection period’ before a ne…
Integrity
Armed conflicts, climate change, natural hazard-related disasters such as earthquakes, and other threats, can have deleterious effects on the integrity of cultural and natural heritage; yet, the notion of integrity, as applied to cultural heritage in particular, has received little attention, not least in the World Heritage system, which is the principal disseminator of heritage discourses, policies, and practices. Curiously, concern for loss of …
Conservation Techniques and Studies (15 works) · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation (15 works) · Law (15 works) · Political science (15 works) · Cultural heritage (13 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Archaeological Research and Protection (10 works) · History (10 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Convention (8 works)