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United Nations Complex

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United Nations Complex

United Nations complex was drawn by an international committee of architects, the United Nations Board of Design. The most notable of the architects were Oscar Niemeyer, Le Corbusier and Wallace K. Harrison, who headed the board. Some renowned architects including Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius were excluded due to their historic links with Germany, the enemy during the war.

The international style was chosen by the board members as it symbolized a new start after the second World War. A plan by Le Corbusier, known as project 23A, was taken as the basis for the complex. After many months of heated discussions, mainly between Le Curbusier and the other architects,
the final plan 23W, drawn up by Oscar Niemeyer was adopted by all members of the board. It consists of a complex with 4 buildings: the Secretariat building, the General Assembly building, the Conference building and the Dag Hammarskjold Library.

The largest of the four buildings is the Secretariat of the building, home of the UN’s administration. The large, 39 story, 544 ft tall slab has become a worldwide symbol of the United Nations. The green glass-curtain tower, the first of its kind in New York, contrasts starkly with the 1920s buildings of Tudor city nearby.
Construction of the Secretariat started in september 1949 and was completed in 1950. The complex as a whole was only finished two years later.

The Secretariat building dwarfs the adjacent 5 story General Assembly building, actually the most important part of the complex. In the General assembly hall, which has a seating capacity of 1,800, meetings with representatives of all UN members take place. The conference building behind the Secretariat and General assembly buildings houses the security Council and the Economic and Social Council.

Adjacent to the United Nations complex is a small public park bordering the East River. It is littered with artwork donated by many countries, including the ‘Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares’ by Evgeniy Vuchetich, donated by the Soviet Union in 1959. Recently a piece of the Berlin Wall was added to the park.

Along First Avenue in front of the United Nations Headquarters is a display of flags from each member of the UN. It starts with Afghanistan at 48th street and ends with Zimbabwe at 42nd street.

The United Nations is currently considering moving its personnel to a new 35 story building, as the Secretariat building needs to be renovated. The renovation would take approximately four years.

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