Vientiane Historic Town Pilot Project “Vientiane’s Trial” Heritage City Center Conservation Urban Planning by JICA (Japan)

Ministry of Transports & Public Works

Vientiane

2015

Public consultation and conference on pedestrian heritage city center development, urban planing impacts presentation

Vientiane Nam Phu Square renovation project

Ministry of Transports and Public Works of Lao PDR

Vientiane

2013

Concept design submitted to the Ministry of Transports and Public Works to present a possible renovation option to improve Vientiane’s heart public square.

That Nak Temple Stupa, 17th century, conservation project

Australian Embassy & Lao Ministry of Information & Culture, in collaboration with Restaurateurs Sans Frontières

Vientiane

2007-2008

The new Australian Embassy project fences construction works threatening the neighbor 17th century Wat That Nak stupa monument in Vientiane conducted the Australian Embassy to fund this Lao Buddhist monument conservation project. The architects of Les Ateliers de la Peninsule were hired to design and implement the stupa renovation works demanding first to identify the monument original construction materials and construction techniques. Les Ateliers de la Peninsule associated with “Restaurateur sans Frontieres” in Bangkok managed by Robert Bougrain Dubourg specialist in monument conservation originally from the Avignon school in France.

The project required first to implement a masonry conservation detail survey to identify all remaining moldings parts that allowed re-designing the stupa entire layout.

“Restaurateurs sans Frontieres” scope of works planed the following actions needed prior implementing any renovation works:

– Chemical treatment to eradicate all vegetation growing on the monument and breaking the masonry works
– Monument mortar and remains color sample to be analyzed in a laboratory in Bangkok to identify the mortar original components and original color natural pigments
This 17th century stupa has a very particular layout organizing four niches on each cardinal orientation facing North, South, East and West displaying four Buddha figures that need renovations and missing part replacement. These Buddha figure renovation work was implemented by young heritage specialist trainees from the heritage conservation school of Avignon who came in Laos to implement some molding with silicon molds to replicate some Buddha missing parts. These replicas required then an aging work with special painting techniques using natural pigment and gold leaves.

On That Wat Nak stupa top four other smaller niches where existing certainly displaying smaller missing Buddha statues. The Australian Embassy donated 2 silver plated Buddha and Ateliers de la Peninsule donated 2 other silver plated Buddha statues that have been installed into the stupa top small niches on the That Wat Nak opening ceremony under the leadership of the Wat Nak Buddhist monks and venerable.

Ateliers de la Peninsule office

Private

Ban Sithan Neua, Vientiane

300 m²

2006

– Architecture design
– Interior design
– Civil, mechanical & electrical engineering
– Project costing
– Landscaping
– Contractors bidding documents & contract signing assistance
– Construction, administration & project management

Renovation project of 13 streets in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang

2001

Les Ateliers de la Peninsule, in association with Delta Construction Company, won the tender for the project design and implementation of 13 streets renovation in the quarters of Wat That Noi and Wat That in Luang Prabang.
This project required a study and a detailed survey of the spontaneous functioning and facilities of local residents to restitute these alleyways to the population respecting their streets uses and habits after the renovation works.
The study considered and noted all spontaneous private facilities on the public space such as benches, meeting places, private plantation and indigenous plant species, waste storage areas, the connection points of each household sewage to the public network, the location of each local resident access, for the design of the fitting out of these alleyways.
The project required from the architects to create urban furniture and fixtures, waste storage areas, planting areas and to plan the implementation of future works for the installation of networks in the design of structures of road.
To maximize the participation of the local residents in the design and the implementation of the project, the architects presented the project detailed layout demonstrating the consideration of the local population streets uses, constraints and needs, to benefit from their feedback comments and approvals on the proposed new streets design and public facilities.

Lhassa cultural heritage conservation project, audit mission

The Asia Society (USA)

Lhassa – Tibet

1999

Audit
– April 2000 – Evaluation mission of Tibetan Heritage Fund project in Lhasa to confirm possible funding to The Asia Society donors.
– Evaluation mission criteria’s and reports:
. Project mobilized expertise and communication quality towards local authorities
. Lhasa local authorities collaboration counterpart& level of involvement in the project heritage conservation programs
. Conservation project master plan progress and heritage building condition classification methods to identify emergency renovation needs
. Selected heritage buildings architectural survey progress&technical drawingsquality production
. Mobilized expertise in heritage building survey &pathologies identification
. Actions for Tibetan traditional construction techniques identification and recording
. Actions for Tibetan traditional construction material identification& sourcing
. Project level & quality of involvement of local construction craftsman and labor in renovation works
. Project methodology for traditional construction know-how preservation & recording
. Project methodology for construction traditional techniques & know-how technology transfer
. Project plans for renovated heritage buildings maintenance funding
. Project quality of communication for fund raising

Wat Sisaket Buddhist Temple project

Funded by World Monument Fund

Vientiane

1996

1999

In 1996 François Greck is mandated by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Lao PDR to prepare the nomination file of the Buddhist temple Wat Sisaket in Vientiane built in 1888, to submit this monument to World Fund Monument (WFM) Watch Program.
The temple was listed in 1998 to the «100 Most Endangered Sites » program of WFM and the Ministry of Information & Culture of Lao PDR was funded to allow the following heritage conservation studies mission:
– A complete architectural survey of the Buddhist temple complex
– A comprehensive study identifying the buildings pathologies
– A conservation building techniques detail scope of works report
– A detailed costing of the conservation project required for the preservation of this heritage

In 2006 Les Ateliers de la Peninsule donated to the Ministry of Information & Culture of Lao PDR the following technical assistance to launch the Wat Sisaket conservation works

Wat Sisaket tender documents to select a specialized contractor
The mission of project management assistance for the preparation and negotiation of the contracts for the conservation project works, including:
– Preparation of technical specifications of all batches implementation
– Preparation of tender rules
– Preparation of description documents and price lists

Micka Perier©

1910 Lao traditional wooden house – pilot project

UNESCO World Heritage House

Luang Prabang

1997

200 m²

Francois Greck contracted in 1996-97 as chief architect team leader of the Heritage House to manage three main projects phases:
1 – The identification of Luang Prabang city urban and architectural characteristics components to survey the city world heritage area identity.
An inventory of the architectural details of each architecture typologies of Luang Prabang city implemented by the architect Jean Baptiste Lagier in 1996 was published as architectural detail vocabulary to help the population in drawings new projects respecting the city architectures layout.
-These urban and architectural studies were presented in an exhibition, at the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang in July 1997 and at the Francophony Summit in Hanoi in October 1997.
-These studies allowed the development of the planning regulations still currently ruling.
2 – A conservation pilot project for the renovation of the house Ban Xieng Mouane , a traditional 1910 Lao wooden house, which allowed several training courses for Lao carpenters, cabinetmakers and masons to the conservation techniques by French experts of the School of Avignon, France, and the development of technical specifications publications about wood carpentry, manufacture of lime traditional plaster and painting with natural pigments.
3 – A project of assistance and advice to the population to help in the preparation of the population construction permit design and application files to build in compliance with the architectural and urban regulations

Vat That Foune temple project

Lao Buddhist Federation

Pascal Goyer

Vientiane

1993-1997

Les Ateliers de la Peninsule contracted by Pascal Goyer, Zen monk sponsor of Wat That Foune temple, worked with the temple Buddhist Venerable to define the religious building construction program according to the construction traditions and rituals to observe at various stages of the construction phases. This experience enabled architects to work with the community of craftsmen specialized in the construction of religious buildings and to learn the different traditional and specific works such as wood carving, glass mosaic works, cement molding used for the temple Buddhist images decoration implementation.
The Ateliers de la Peninsule architects had the privilege of having a copper plate in their name, buried in the building foundations following the Lao Buddhist temple construction traditions, as being the architects selected to design and supervise the Wat That Foune temple construction project.

Heritage House renovation

UNESCO World Heritage House

Luang Prabang

1997

Following the nomination of Luang Prabang to the World Heritage list of UNESCO in 1995, a cooperation project between the city of Luang Prabang and the city of Chinon (Région Centre in France), created the Heritage House project in Luang Prabang at the end of 1996.
The Heritage House objective is a technical support project for Luang Prabang city Provincial Department of Public Works, for:
1 – the implementation of the urban master plan for the historic area of the city.
2 – the development of pilote projects as Ban Xieng Mouane conservation project to train local craftmen about conservation building techniques as wood carpentry works, traditional lime mortar and painting works etc…
The project of the Heritage House benefited from multilateral cooperation funds as the:
– French Development Agency (AFD)
– European Union
– City of Chinon

The exhibition was presented to the donors: European Union, French Embassy, Agence Française de développment (ADB)
– Royal Palace in Luang Prabang in July 1997
– Sommet de la Francophonie in Hanoi, Vietnam, in Octobre 1997