1. In 2018, the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), USA, and the Department of Archaeology and National Museum (DANM), Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, l...

Tirana National Theatre was demolished on 17 May 2020. For the previous eighty years and up to that moment, it had maintained its public and societal function, documenting the changes of twentieth-century Albanian history. The Theatre was inaugurated in 1938, during the Italian Protectorate, as part of the Italian-Albanian Circolo Scanderbeg, a multifunctional complex conceived for entertainment as well as for Fascist propaganda. The construction, by the Italian company PATER, used a prefabricated system that well-exemplified the new building technologies and material research developed under the Fascist autarchy restrictions. This paper deals with the construction history of this building approaching questions around fabrics which significance is neglected in favour of new developments. Even if time-specific, architecture is often characterized by a lifespan that is longer if compared to its original construction purpose. Hence, despite the denial of any possible conservation or reuse, the Theatre’s cultural resilience and architectural, historic, and societal significance will continue to reverberate in the void created by its demolition. Unpretentiously, this paper honours the memory of a disappeared twentieth-century architecture, which ambiguous protection history was overcome by a much more sincere guardianship by the civil society and conservation community.

1. The archaeological site of Bagan in Myanmar covers 49.8 km2 and has kept its significance as a cultural landscape, being a prominent place of pilgrimage and worship as well as traditional cultur...

Vernacular earthen heritage is deeply embedded in the landscapes and cultural traditions of thecommunities that build and inhabit these structures. Made from locally sourced materials and constructedusing local techniques, these buildings embody sustainability, adaptability, and cultural identity. Whileformal recognition within international frameworks gained prominence with the ICOMOS Charter on theBuilt Vernacular Heritage in the early 2000s, discussions on vernacular earthen heritage in urban andagricultural settlement have been present throughout the Terra conferences since their inception in 1972.These events have played a key role in shaping discussions around vernacular earthen heritage,advocating for its conservation, and emphasizing the importance of integrating traditional knowledge withmodern preservation strategies. As part of its broader objective to assess trends and gaps in earthenheritage conservation and inform future strategic directions, the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI),through its Earthen Architecture Initiative (EAI), conducted a comprehensive review of 636 paperspresented at Terra conferences. This study examined the evolution of research and practice in the field,with vernacular earthen heritage representing just one of many key themes. Building on this extensivereview, this paper specifically analyses how vernacular earthen heritage has been represented in Terraconference discourse over time. Through a systematic examination of relevant papers, it identifiesconservation challenges, maps the geographic regions where this heritage has been most studied, andassesses evolving strategies for its protection. Additionally, it highlights how the Terra conferences havecontributed to raising awareness about vernacular heritage, fostering community participation inconservation efforts, and supporting the revitalization of historic earthen rural and urban centers.