Die Vereinten Nationen in Bonn

The United Nations in Bonn
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Much like Rome, the UN Campus was not built in a day. Given
their historical importance, both buildings are protected monuments,
imposing certain constraints. Their refurbishment and
modernization needed to reconcile the practical needs of over a
dozen UN agencies with the requirements of German building
law and regulations governing the protection of historic buildings,
a task that occasionally seemed tantamount to squaring
the circle. The United Nations Agencies established a UN Campus
Task force, whose members spent months poring over architectural
plans and budget documents, regularly discussed the
way forward regarding UN Campus issues, and also met and
deliberated with representatives of the competent German Ministry
for the Environment, other Federal and Land authorities
and others.
© Stefan Lippert Architekt, Berlin
The revitalization of the Langer Eugen building took several years,
but the outcome is convincing. Modern technology was installed
where necessary, but wherever possible, original elements were
retained or reconstructed. This includes details such as the
doorknobs, banisters, the wall clocks used by the Bundestag
and even the wall to wall carpet in the building’s 29th fl oor cafeteria.
The original carpet was so worn that it needed to be replaced,
but it proved diffi cult to a company that could reproduce
the original. Finally, the replacement was specially manufactured
by carpet weavers in the United Kingdom. Given the cafeteria’s
spectacular view – on good days it is possible to make
out the Cologne Cathedral on the horizon – it is doubtful, however,
whether the cafeteria’s patrons pay much attention to the
beige and brown tartan design underfoot.
In refurbishing the building, care was also taken to maintain the
numerous works of art found across the building. Eleven such
pieces, representing various art forms and created by major
20th century German artists such as HAP Grieshaber, Fritz Koenig,
Hans Kaiser or Günther Uecker turn the building into something
of a gallery of post-war German art. All things considered,
the Neues Abgeordnetenhochhaus, reinaugurated and handed
over to the UN on July 11, 2006, now presents a congenial fusion
of 1960s design and new millennium technology.
Phase II of the UN Campus concerned the older of the two buildings,
the Altes Abgeordnetenhochhaus. This phase should originally
have been concluded roughly one year after the inauguration
of the fi rst building. In fact, there was a considerable hiatus, caused
by the fact that the Bundestag Budget Committee’s took several
years to make the necessary funds available. Only in 2009 did
the actual construction work on this part of the Campus begin.
Interestingly, while this building is considerably smaller than its
neighbor, the challenges involved were not. Since the complex effectively
consisted of several parts with a very heterogenous structure,
different approaches were needed in various parts of the
building. To add to the challenge, the various parts of the building
were constructed at different levels. This has now been compensated
for, putting all sections of the complex on the same level.
Moreover, in accordance with the mandate of the future tenant of
the building, the Climate Change Secretariat UNFCCC), the environmental
and energy efficiency standards were extremely stringent.
Newly constructed parts were constructed to passive house
standards, refurbished sections received strong thermal insulation.
Renewable energy plays an important role in this building.
Heat exchangers using Rhine water fi ltrate are used to heat and
cool the building, which generates its own electricity through photovoltaic
panels. Reconstruction was governed by the specifi cations
for eco-friendly building developed by the Federal Ministry
for the Environment. The Federal Office for Building and Regional
Planning (BBR), which was tasked with the refurbishment, stresses
that the Altes Abgeordnetenhochhaus was intended to demonstrate
that even a refurbished building can be very climate friendly by
reducing the use of fossil fuels and using ecological building
materials and elements. State-of-the-art technology and modern
energy supplies notwithstanding, many architectural features of the
original building were retained or restored to their original status.