Restoration Project in Samoa

Enlarge image (© Archifact Limited) As part of its Cultural Heritage Conservation Programme, the German Foreign Office has been actively involved in the evaluation of a project designed to preserve the old Court House in Apia, Samoa. The programme, which has been running since 1981, supports localized projects outside Germany with the aim of enhancing both the respective country’s cultural heritage and its mutual cultural dialogue with Germany.

The Court House project examines the possibility of a full restoration of the 106 year old building.

As a first step, an initial feasibility study was conducted by the director of New Zealand architects practice “Archifact”, Adam Wild who specialises in the conservation of places of cultural heritage value worldwide. Mr Wild recently travelled to Samoa accompanied by some of his colleagues to assess the court house’s present condition. Their visit was funded by the governments of Germany, New Zealand and Samoa and Unitec and actively supported by the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Samoa, Arne Schreiber.

During their three-day stay in Apia, over 280 3-D scans were taken representing over 330 billion data points of three dimensional information about the building which will be transformed into a three-dimensional computerized model. With the scanning process and on-site analysis completed and over 1000 photographs taken, the way is now clear for creating a conservation plan with a feasible prognosis for the building’s future image and purpose.