Geneva, Switzerland
“Already one of the landmarks of International Geneva, Building H is an important investment for the future of the United Nations family in the city and sets the standard for new ways of working,” states Tatiana Valovaya. Under-Secretary-General Director, United Nations.
“This state-of-the-art construction has been designed as a healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving office building that is fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals principles.”
Burckhardt+Partner and SOM have completed the UN’s new 24,000-square-metre hybrid mass-timber and concrete office block on the United Nations campus in Geneva in close coordination with the Host Nation Switzerland, at all levels of the Federal, Canton, and the City of Geneva.
Building H accommodates 1,500 staff and consists of a series of kinked blocks that were arranged around two diamond-shaped courtyards.
The blocks, which overlook Lake Geneva, step down the hillside and are topped with landscaped roofs to integrate the building into the landscape.
“It was paramount to us to design a building that is respectful to the environment, both in terms of sustainability and its visual impact on the surrounding park,” said SOM design partner Kent Jackson.
“The great benefit of prioritizing nature means that everyone who works in the new building has immediate access to fresh air and feels connected to the landscape around them.”
“It was paramount to us to design a building that is respectful to the environment, both in terms of sustainability and its visual impact on the surrounding park,” said SOM design partner Kent Jackson.
“The great benefit of prioritizing nature means that everyone who works in the new building has immediate access to fresh air and feels connected to the landscape around them.”
This state-of-the-art construction has been designed as a healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving office building that is fully aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals principles.
The design complies with the new norms of sustainable construction, as well as today’s safety standards.
Accessibility, for persons with disabilities, has been fully integrated into the design, consistent with the new United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy.
The “green building,” integrated into the Ariana Park landscape, includes a glass façade that offers optimum advantage of natural light and reduces electricity use.
Water from Lake Geneva is used to heat and cool the building using hydrothermal technology developed by local company GeniLac, while solar panels mounted on the roof contribute to the building’s energy use.
These waste reduction and energy conservation features benefit not only its occupants, but also the environment.
Building H offers the facilities, infrastructure, and technology necessary to advance and improve the provision of quality and modern conferencing services and therefore continue to work for peace, rights, and well-being for all, everywhere.
The open-plan offices are enclosed by floor-to-ceiling windows that provide natural light and provide views of Lake Geneva and the French Alps.
Each floor has access to several outdoor spaces, including central courtyards, rooftop terraces, and external plazas.
The building’s structure is a hybrid of concrete columns with floors supported by alternating mass timber and concrete beams, which are visible in the offices, meeting the Swiss Minergie sustainability standards.
The new office block forms part of an overall plan to renovate and modernize the UN’s campus, which includes the historic art deco Palais des Nations building, which was originally built as the home for the League of Nations in the 1930s.
“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to realize the first new building for this organization in Geneva for many decades and to be able to offer new and forward-looking forms of collaboration,” states Oliver Henninger, partner at Burckhardt+Partner.
Project: Building H
Architects: Burckhardt+Partner AG and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.
Client: United Nations
Photographers: Dave Burk