Organizations — United Nations U.N. Headquarters in New York Gets Badly Needed Facelift by Michael Coleman Asbestos, bad lighting, faulty ventilation, leaky roofs, inadequate security and dated décor. All of these problems — and more — should be eliminated as the United Nations in New York receives its highly publicized and controversial $1.9 billion facelift that officially began in May. Donning hard hats and gleaming new shovels, U.N. officials, led by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, broke ground May 5 on construction of a temporary conference venue at the world body’s New York headquarters. The symbolic display of progress marked a landmark moment in the beginning of a five-year overhaul of the world-famous complex. “Over these five years, we will make our facilities safer and more modern.We will make them greener and more efficient,” Ban declared at the groundbreaking.“As we conduct this work, we will never lose sight of the original purpose of our founders when they erected these buildings almost 60 years ago: promoting a safer, more peaceful and more just world.” Although the project — dubbed the Capital Master Plan (CMP) — has been widely criticized for cost overruns and ever-evolving plans, U.N. officials are optimistic that the massive undertaking is finally heading in the right direction. “The CMP certainly had a slow start in its early stages, and went through a number of different approaches and redesigns, which the General Assembly approved in its final form only in December of 2007,” said William Davis, director of the U.N. Information Center in Washington, D.C.“But we are currently very much on the right track.” The original U.N. structure, built almost 60 years ago, is in a state of serious disrepair and lacks the aesthetic, safety and security standards of the heavily used, modern government buildings of today. Renovation proponents also contend that the improvements will usher in a new era of environmentally friendly architectural features, including the use of some solar power. In addition, as part of the greening of the United Nations, 150 trees will be planted in and around the headquarters during the landscaping phase. “One of the primary objectives of the Capital Master Plan is to renovate the facilities, and the grounds, as a model of sustainability for the rest of the U.N. system,” according to a statement issued by the CMP Office. “These new trees, in the heart of NYC, will reinforce that objective.” The U.N. complex encompasses more than 17 acres and includes six buildings totaling about 2.6 million square feet. Although some suggested constructing completely new facilities, it was ultimately determined that renovation would be the most cost effective way to replace aging and inefficient equipment, upgrade safety, and keep the thousands of people who work at the United Nations from having to endure temporary work-spaces for too long. Still, the five-year renovation project will displace about 5,000 U.N. workers to rented space in Manhattan, Long Island and a temporary office on the U.N. grounds. The main Secretariat Tower, an internationally recognized landmark of steel and glass, will retain the same look, but will be vastly improved from the inside and fortified to withstand a blast or natural disaster. Although there was never any serious discussion about demolishing the New York buildings and erecting a new United Nations in some other country, informal offers were made by some governments. U.N. officials, however, have not ruled out moving some U.N. functions to another member nation’s soil. “Informal offers have been made by other countries — there is always an opportunity and certainly it is conceivable that some functions could be offloaded to other headquarters,” the CMP Web site says. But overall, officials contend that the problems necessitating a renovation of the New York complex are largely associated with natural aging, not the basic construction, and hence it didn’t make sense to demolish the old structures and rebuild from scratch. Next Page

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