Rizzoli toasts the UN’s 70th anniversary with a book dedicated to its restoration
Every September, New York City traffic gets knotted up by two events with two very different dress codes: Fashion Week and the United Nations General Assembly. This year, as New York Fashion Week settles into new venues further downtown, the UN will be marking its 70th anniversary by meeting, as it has since it was opened in 1952, at its iconic uptown headquarters. Different agendas notwithstanding, both events cast an eye toward design.
On the occasion of its 70th, the UN will be highlighting the role that its headquarters – a landmark in architectural modernism – has contributed to the institution. Designed by a committee of masters, including Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, Sven Markelius and American architect Wallace Harrison, the buildings have come to emblematise the post-war moment, not only of politics, but also of design. To mark the anniversary and to celebrate its mammoth restoration project, Rizzoli will be publishing The United Nations at 70: Restoration and Renewal, available in October.
Over the last decade, the UN has undertaken a nearly £1.3 billion campus restoration, ridding it of lead and asbestos, cutting water and energy consumption by about 50 per cent, and undoing some modifications carried out over the years. 'All of its iconic spaces have been restored to the original appearance they had in 1952 when the building first opened,' explains Michael Adlerstein, the UN assistant secretary general, who directed the restoration. These spaces include a rare trifecta of Nordic interiors: the Security Council Chamber, designed by Norwegian architect Arnstein Arneberg; the Trusteeship Council Chamber, designed by Danish architect and designer Finn Juhl; and the Economic and Social Council Chamber, by Sven Markelius. 'All of the fixtures and furnishings have been returned to the look they had when the building first opened,' Adlerstein emphasises.
Even though the institution has undergone profound change (its 50 charter countries have swollen to 193, and its staff has expanded tenfold), the original space planning has managed to accommodate those changes. As Adlerstein observes, 'the design has held its own'.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Remembering Richard Serra (1938-2024), American art’s man of steel
American artist Richard Serra, whose vast sculptures transformed landscapes around the world, has died aged 85
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Architectural gardens around the world to soothe the soul
From small domestic gardens, to nature reserves, urban interventions and local parks, here are some of the finest green projects that place nature at their heart
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Corfu hotel Domes Miramare redefines beachfront bliss
Make like Jackie O at Corfu hotel Domes Miramare, a property with contemporary luxury and echoes of 1960s glamour in spades
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Flick through ‘Brutal Wales’, a book celebrating concrete architecture
‘Brutal Wales’ book zooms into a selection of concrete Welsh architecture treasures through the lens of photographer Simon Phipps
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architecture books to inspire shelf love
Here at Wallpaper*, we’ve got architecture books piling up; among them, these are the photographic tomes, architects’ monographs and limited editions that we couldn’t resist
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Pioneering modernist Henry Kulka's life and career tracked in limited-edition monograph
Czech-New Zealand architect Henry Kulka, a man who spread modernist ideals half way around the world, is celebrated in Giles Reid and Mary Gaudin’s richly illustrated monograph
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Nordic architecture explored in Share, a book about contemporary building
Discussions about Nordic architecture and contemporary practice meet in a new book by Artifice, Share: Conversations about Contemporary Architecture – The Nordic Countries
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
London Feeds Itself: we are hungry for Open City's book on food and architecture
London Feeds Itself, a new book by Open City, is a scrumptious offering that connects food culture and architecture
By Nick Compton Last updated
-
The Sustainable City chronicles London’s eco design innovation
Urban areas provide the best environment for ultra-low-impact living; that's the premise of Harriet Thorpe’s new book, The Sustainable City, which brings together the architecture that's shaping London’s quiet green revolution
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
Montalba Architects' monograph ponders on space, place and building
Montalba Architects launches extensive monograph, ‘Place and Space’
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
House London is an insider’s guide to the city’s best architectural transformations
House London is a new book offering a peek into some of the best redesigns of the capital’s omnipresent, historical brick home typology
By Jonathan Bell Last updated