Renovation and conservation

Emmanuelle Gantet

The Palais of Nations is one of the largest diplomatic conference centres in the world, hosting some 8,000 meetings a year. It must meet ergonomic, lighting, acoustic and heat insulation requirements and new technical and safety standards. Most of the conference rooms date from the time the Palais of Nations was built, i.e. in the 1940s and in the 1970s; one of the team of four architect- designers working at the Palais, Catherine Mabilon, has said that “it is a real pleasure to work on conserving an architectural heritage site with its original materials (rare woods, fabric hangings and leather) while respecting the period layout”.

An extensive programme to refurbish the conference rooms began with the renovation of the Assembly Hall in 1996 and the interpretation booths in the Council Chamber in 2000. The programme includes the installation of built-in projectors which, according to Miklos Szadeczky, deputy chief of the engineering services unit, provide larger and clearer images, among other advantages (Conference Rooms XVI, XIX, XI and H-3). To enhance audio quality, the simultaneous interpretation facilities have also been replaced, to the extent that budgetary resources permit, by the latest equipment incorporating digital sound and electronic display of the languages being translated, which means a complete refurbishment of the interpretation booths (Conference Rooms XVI, XII and the Council Chamber have already been renovated in this way).

Some conference rooms have been renovated by donor countries in a style reflecting their architectural and decorative traditions. One of the finest is room X, refurbished by Latvia, where contrasting colours are harmoniously combined: the dark green seats are set off by the pale green ceiling, and the golden yellow of the panelling and furniture contrasts with the ebony-black floor and doors inlaid with amber. Three inlaid wood panels represent scenes from Latvian folklore.

News from the gardens

In summertime the park really comes into its own. Fresh ideas spring from walks, reading or discussions along sunny paths or under shady trees, some of which - like our cedar of Lebanon opposite the Armillary Sphere - are almost 200 years old; it was planted in
1832.

Last year the head gardener, Eric Lüscher, began to catalogue this living heritage. To date, he has identified 600 of the 800 or so specimens in the park. For our safety and to keep the trees healthy, they are pruned on a regular basis. Every year some of them are felled or die … and are replaced by others to delight the future generations.

This summer, the all-too fleeting beauty of the flower beds is changing: classic begonias or busy Lizzies alternate with more delicate blooms such as verbenas, melampodiums and heliotropes. The beauty of our parks and gardens owes everything to the meticulous care of the five Palais gardeners. Let us do our bit towards helping them to maintain this very special environment by using the litter bins and car parks.