LEGO Architecture United Nations Headquarters Instruction Manual

UnitedNationsHeadquarters
NewYorkCityNYUSA
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United Nations
Headquarters
Standing on the eastern shore of Manhattan, on the
banks of New York City’s East River, the United Nations
Headquarters has become an acclaimed modernist
architectural landmark. In an ambitious attempt to match
the United Nations’ own spirit of international cooperation,
it was created through the collaborative effort of a
multinational team of leading architects that included,
amongst others, Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier.
Situé sur la rive est de Manhattan, au bord de l’East
River à New York, le siège des Nations Unies est
devenu un célèbre monument architectural moderniste.
Dans une tentative ambitieuse de reproduire l’esprit
de coopération internationale des Nations Unies, il fut
créé grâce au travail de collaboration d’une équipe
internationale d’architectes de premier plan, notamment
Oscar Niemeyer et Le Corbusier.
Le siège des Nations Unies
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©United Nations Photos
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History
The United Nations organization was officially formed in
October 1945 as the Second World War came to an end.
In December of that year, the Congress of the United
States unanimously resolved to invite the United Nations
to establish its permanent home in the USA. Thereafter, a
special United Nations site committee studied possible
locations in such places as Philadelphia, Boston and San
Francisco.
While consideration was given to areas north of New
York City, crowded Manhattan had not been seriously
investigated. A last-minute offer of $8.5 million by John
D. Rockefeller, Jr., for the purchase of the present site
was accepted by a majority of the General Assembly in
December 1946.
The site chosen by the United Nations was a 17 acre
(69,000m2) run-down area of slaughterhouses, light
industry and a railroad barge landing. Once the site
was agreed upon, the next task was to design the
Headquarters itself. Delegates decided that the United
Nations home should be the joint project of leading
architects from many countries. Wallace K. Harrison of
the United States was appointed chief architect and
given the title of Director of Planning. A ten-member
Board of Design Consultants was selected to assist him,
composed of architects nominated by member States.
The members of the Board were Nikolai G. Bassov
(Soviet Union); Gaston Brunfaut (Belgium); Ernest Cormier
(Canada); Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, better known as
Le Corbusier (France); Liang Seu-Cheng (China); Sven
Markelius (Sweden); Oscar Niemeyer (Brazil); Sir Howard
Robertson (United Kingdom); G. A. Soilleux (Australia);
and Julio Vilamajo (Uruguay). The Director and the Board
began their work early in 1947 from an office in the
Rockefeller Center. Some 50 basic designs were created,
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criticized, analyzed and reworked. The planners had to
take into account the structure of the United Nations
with its General Assembly, three main Councils and
permanent Secretariat.
©United Nations Photos
L’Organisation des Nations Unies fut officiellement
formée en octobre 1945 à la fin de la Deuxième Guerre
mondiale.
En décembre de la même année, le Congrès des États-
Unis vota à l’unanimité d’inviter les Nations Unies à
établir leur siège permanent aux États-Unis. Un comité
spécial pour le site des Nations Unies étudia par la
suite d’éventuels emplacements à des endroits tels que
Philadelphie, Boston et San Francisco.
Des espaces au nord de New York furent envisagés,
mais la zone surpeuplée de Manhattan ne fut pas
sérieusement étudiée. À la dernière minute, une offre de
8,5 millions de dollars de John D. Rockefeller Jr., pour
l’achat du site actuel, fut acceptée à la majorité par
l’Assemblée générale en décembre 1946.
Histoire
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Le site choisi par les Nations Unies était un espace
abandonné de 69 000 m2 comprenant des abattoirs, des
industries légères et un débarcadère. Une fois le site
choisi, il fallut créer le siège. Les délégués décidèrent que
le siège des Nations Unies devait être le projet commun
de célèbres architectes venant de nombreux pays.
L’américain Wallace K. Harrison fut désigné architecte
en chef et reçut le titre de Directeur de la planification.
Un comité de dix consultants fut sélectionné pour l’aider,
composé d’architectes nommés par les États membres.
Les membres du comité étaient Nikolai G. Bassov
(Communauté des États indépendants - ancienne
Union soviétique); Gaston Brunfaut (Belgique); Ernest
Cormier (Canada); Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, plus
connu comme Le Corbusier (France); Liang Seu-Cheng
(Chine); Sven Markelius (Suède); Oscar Niemeyer (Brésil);
Sir Howard Robertson (Royaume-Uni); G. A. Soilleux
(Australie); et Julio Vilamajo (Uruguay). Le directeur et le
comité commencèrent leur travail au début de 1947, dans
un bureau du Rockefeller Center. Environ 50 concepts
de base furent créés, critiqués, analysés et retravaillés.
Les organisateurs devaient également tenir compte
de la structure des Nations Unies avec son Assemblée
générale, ses trois Conseils principaux et son Secrétariat
permanent.
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© United Nations Photos
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From the 50 designs evaluated by the Board, scheme 32,
submitted by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, was
initially selected as the most interesting plan.
Niemeyer’s original idea for the site included three
structures standing free, with a fourth lying low behind
them along the river’s edge. He chose to split the councils
from the Assembly Hall, creating a grand public plaza in
between the two areas.
The only board member who wasn’t completely won
over by Niemeyer’s elegantly articulated composition
was Swiss-born Le Corbusier. His design, scheme nr 23,
had proposed a single block in the center of the site
containing both the Assembly Hall and the different
councils.
Le Corbusier approached Niemeyer and suggested
repositioning the Assembly Hall to the center of the site.
Although this would radically change his idea of a large,
open civic square, Niemeyer accepted the modification
and both architects re-submitted a joint plan, which is the
building complex that can be seen today.
The original budget for the project was first estimated
at $85 million, but savings and re-workings of the plan
reduced this to $65 million. The United States Government
provided an interest-free loan for the whole amount to
cover the entire construction costs.
With the plans approved and the finance in place,
the decision to carry them out moved ahead quickly.
Nineteen months later, on 21 August 1950, the first
Secretariat workers moved into their new offices.
As the chosen site was relatively small, bounded on
one side by the East River Drive (later the Franklin D.
Roosevelt East River Drive) and on the other by the East
River itself,
Design & Construction
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© United Nations Photos
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it was obvious that a tall building would be required to
house all of the offices. Niemeyer’s 39-story Secretariat
Building was controversial in its time, but has since
become an icon for the modernist style of the complex.
The exterior facings of the 550-foot tall (167.6 m) Secretariat
Building were made exclusively of aluminum, glass and
marble. Wide areas of green-tinted glass were unbroken
by conventional setbacks. In contrast, the windowless
north and south facades of the building were faced with
2,000 tons (1814 metric tons) of Vermont marble.
In keeping with the international character of the United
Nations, materials for the Headquarters were selected
from many lands. Limestone for the facings of the
Assembly and Conference Buildings came from the United
Kingdom; marble from Italy; office furniture and shelving
from France; chairs and fabrics from Czechoslovakia (now
the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic) and Greece;
carpets from England, France and Scotland. In addition,
tables were purchased from Switzerland and various
woods for interior finishing came from Belgium, Canada,
Cuba, Guatemala, the Philippines, Norway and Zaire (now
the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
©Wikipedia
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