Outline
of the Conservation
Prasat Suor Prat is a group of tower structures built principally
of laterite. Of the twelve towers, the N1 tower and the
N2 tower antechamber, which were judged to be most in danger
of collapse, were targeted for conservation and restoration
by JSA. A preliminary restoration survey began in 1994 with
an archaeological study of the terrace. A survey of the
current state of each tower was also conducted simultaneously.
The actual conservation and restoration work was launched
in May 2001, beginning with the partial dismantling of the
N2 tower antechamber. Reconstruction of the building was
completed in September 2003. Immediately thereafter, the
conservation and restoration of the N1 tower began which
involved full-fledged dismantling and reconstruction of
the entire building, and was completed in April 2005.
In the construction work on the N1 tower, as many as 2,000
laterite blocks and 700 sandstone blocks were dismantled.
Of these blocks, 756 laterite blocks and 273 sandstone blocks
were repaired and used to reconstruct the building. Furthermore,
in the partial restoration of the North Pond, 199 embankment
blocks were dismantled. Since only eleven of those blocks
were reusable, 320 new laterite blocks, including those
for missing elements, were used to reconstruct the embankment.
The conservation and restoration work of Prasat Suor Prat
posed many issues, such as the influence of the pond that
exists behind the towers and the relationship with the modified
terrace.
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Characteristics
of Conservation Techniques
There were several characteristics to our conservation of
Prasat Suor Prat. First of all, the conservation and restoration
work involved the dismantling of a laterite tower structure,
which had little precedent at Angkor. EFEO conducted a dismantling
repair work of the N3 tower (so named by JSA) between the
1950s and 1960s, but otherwise there were hardly any similar
cases involving dismantlement. For this reason, it was necessary
to research the masonry method of laterite blocks and to
research and develop methods and materials for the repair
of elements.
A detailed excavation survey of the foundation and platform
was also carried out to elucidate factors causing the inclination
of the towers. As a result, the buildings were fully dismantled
from the foundation and reconstructed using improved lime
soil developed specifically to stabilize the towers and
compacted according to a method approximating the original
method. This detailed survey and full dismantling of the
foundation were also uncommon to conservation and restoration
work in the Angkor region, so we believe the results and
experiences gained through our work are great achievements
that will benefit the future conservation and restoration
of other monuments in the Angkor region.
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