IN-PERSON: Prague – Section A

Abstract

The paper examines the social value of cultural heritage in the built environment by drawing on 3 case studies from the north-west of the UK: the K6 telephone box (a public phone booth converted into an urban music/art museum); Port Sunlight Village of Lever Brothers (forerunner of Unilever) and the City of Liverpool waterfront. The case studies assist in the formulation of a conceptual social value framework for the creation and review of cultural heritage objects, building and spaces. Specific concepts highlighted by the analysis include “trigger events” (e.g. Liverpool`s loss of UNESCO world heritage status due to architectural changes to the waterfront); transformation of object/space (e.g. use of Port Sunlight Village for annual charity running events) and the role of publicity/marketing. The formulation of a social value framework for cultural heritage in the built environment is then aligned with the social value concept as commonly understood in construction project management: an estimation and evaluation of social value in economic, social and environmental terms being integral to civil engineering and construction project management. The contribution lies in formulation of a social value framework for cultural heritage in the built environment and an exploration of the relationship between the social value concept as used in modern day civil engineering and construction project management. Amongst the contentions made by the author is that there is a symbiotic relationship between the social value of cultural heritage and the social value of new civil engineering and construction projects in our environments.