Die Vereinten Nationen in Bonn

The United Nations in Bonn
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Bild links: Altes Abgeordentenhochhaus:
Wandinstallation von Wafae
Ahalouch el Keriasti
rechts: Altes Abgeordnetenhochhaus:
Der Phoenix von Hannes Schulz-
Tattenbach
Image left: Mural installation by Wafae
Ahalouch el Keriasti
right: Altes Abgeordnetenhochhaus:
Phoenix by Hannes Schulz-Tattenbach
Prior to its refurbishment for the UN, this building was less lavishly
endowed with art than its taller neighbor. However, the
work of art on its façade is another remarkable symbol of German
post-war democratic development and the self-conception
of 1950s West Germany. In 1950, the West-German Parliament
recommended that 1 percent of the budget for reconstruction
or construction of any federal government building should be
set aside for works of art to be installed in the respective buildings
(‘Art in Architecture’, Kunst am Bau). The limestone relief
next to the former main entrance, facing Platz der Vereinten
Nationen was created by Hannes Schulz-Tattenpach in 1953,
consists of 27 individual pieces, represents Phoenix rising from
the ashes and is thought to be the oldest known example of art
installed in accordance with the Bundestag’s decision on Art in
Architecture. Three modern artworks were acquired specifically
for the refurbished building. Inside, a structure of wooden
planks, reminiscent of a swallow’s nest, created by the Japanese-French
artist Tadashi Kawamata was installed in the atrium,
an illuminated mural installation by Wafae Ahalouch el Keriasti
(Amsterdam) was placed in the foyer. The southernmost outer
wall of the building displays a giant thermometer indicating the
actual temperature, Created by Michael Sailstorfer from Berlin, it
is intended to be symbolic of the mandate of the UN agency
within.
Nevertheless, the ultimate objective of being able to house all
Bonn-based UN staff in one location has not yet been achieved.
Given the growth of the UNFCCC Secretariat from 300 to
around 600 persons since the early 2000s, the capacity of the
new UNFCCC building had already been exceeded at the time
of inauguration. Consequently, roughly half of the UNFCCC
staff remains in Haus Carstanjen for the time being, pending
the realization of UN Campus Phase III. This will comprise the
inclusion of the former provisional plenary hall of the German
Bundestag, the so-called Wasserwerk (Water Works), currently
still outside the perimeter fence of the Campus, in the UN premises
and the construction of a third office building on the extended
UN Campus area. An architectural competition for the new
office building, planned to house 330 UNFCCC staff, was carried
out in 2013 and won by the German Architect Stefan Lippert.
The new 17-floor glass tower will not only offer a state-of-the art
workplace to UNFCCC staffers. They will also be able to take a
break from the strenuous work of climate change in two-story
conservatories planted with live trees.
Needless to say, all of this comes with a substantial price tag.
The Federal Republic of Germany invested a total of 56 million
euros into the refurbishment of Langer Eugen, the final sum for
the Altes Abgeordnetenhochhaus amounts to approximately 92
million euros and the projected cost of the additional building
will hardly be negligible. However, this is a win-win arrangement.
Germany could hardly have found a worthier new occupant
for some of its most emblematic historical buildings in the
political heart of the former West German capital, while the UN
enjoys high-quality accommodation in one of the most prestigious
locations the host country has to offer. Interestingly, despite
the linguistic challenge this entails for non-German speakers,
the Bonn-based UN organizations officially refer to their
historical architecture by its well-established German designations,
Altes Hochhaus and Langer Eugen. And so, as the United
Nations in Bonn works to secure a sustainable future, history
meets tomorrow at the UN Campus in Bonn. g