The Maison du patrimoine (Heritage House) was established in 1996 under the auspices of the Luang Prabang-Chinon (France)-UNESCO World Heritage Centre Co-operation Project as a technical office within the Luang Prabang Provincial Service of Information and Culture. Housed in a former customs office dating from 1922, the Maison du patrimoine enjoys a special status under aegis of the Ministry of Information and Culture, UNESCO, the Luang Prabang Provincial Government and the Luang Prabang Provincial Service of Information and Culture. All construction work carried out within the protected area - whether for new structures or for renovation of old buildings - requires the agreement of the Provincial Committee on Building and Construction (currently chaired by the Luang Prabang District Governor) and the Provincial Committee for the Protection and Development of Luang Prabang Heritage. The Maison du patrimoine acts as the executive arm and secretariat to the latter, providing advice on building design and conservation methods in respect of all building permit requests, and developing regulations and plans for safeguarding and developing the Luang Prabang World Heritage protected area and buffer/support zones, including the restoration and conservation of temples, houses, streets and alleyways. Some 20 engineers, architects and urbanists currently work at the centre, spending a lot of their time walking around the city, visiting construction sites to monitor works and provide advice to home owners and building contractors. The Maison du patrimoine is under Lao management but retains the services of several foreign experts. It recently published an inventory of protected buildings in Luang Prabang.