Sooyeon's Memo

I'm planning to do a profile of the UN renovation process, a $1.88 billion rehabilitation project.
I researched how the process has been going and figured this whole plan has been delayed too long for bureaucratic reasons, budgeting, looking for temporary building for workers and stuff.
But I expect this profile of the UN will focus the aspects on security, environmental and safety issues. They plan to achieve a LEED Silver rating and there
Also when I looked up news articles in the past, I could not find any criticism or conflict opinions about actual renovation, except the criticism of hight costs.
So I wonder if the plan is perfect. (is it possible?) I have to set up the interview with experts who can give some other opinions about this plan.


****** Brief note **********

They set up the plan called "Capital Master plan,'
That would be a glass-encased Secretariat tower and the General Assembly Building’s main hall which have gotten no major renovations since they opened more than 50 years ago.

The renovation targets include the Secretariat Building built in 1950; the Conference and General Assembly buildings opened in 1951 and 1952; the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, North Lawn Building, and South Annex Building, opened between 1961 and 1982; and the complex’s three-level basement with a parking garage.
Rrenovation also entails installation of new, energy-efficient and blast-resistant glass curtain wall that will have double or triple glazing.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/world/28nations.html
("The glass curtain wall will be replaced by a heavily laminated one that appears identical but is far stronger and able to withstand the blast of a bomb attack.Energy-saving additions include sensors that turn off lights in unoccupied rooms and solar power systems")

http://www.nysun.com/article/67949
(Once the project is completed, "the U.N. headquarters will not only be a safer, healthier, greener, and more secure place, but our renovated workshop for peace will also stand out as a symbol for building a revitalized U.N. for a better world," Secretary-General Ban said in a statement yesterday, thanking members for the approval of the plan.)


http://newyork.construction.com/features/archive/2007/12_feature1.asp
(The renovation program will introduce a full roster of green measures, some tied into broader tasks and others focused on sustainability. A recent UN staff report estimates that the project will achieve a 40% reduction in energy consumption.
The new curtain wall for the 39-story Secretariat Building, modern lighting, and more efficient building systems are examples of needed upgrades that will introduce energy savings. The HVAC systems, for instance, will use no CFC-based refrigerants, while electrical generators may run on biodiesel fuels and plumbing fixtures will use low-flow water technology.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7060000/newsid_7065300/7065366.stm?
(video report)

UN(Capital Master plan) (www.un.org/cmp)
UN procurement Division (www.un.eog/depts/ptd)
U.S. government accountability office (www.gao.ov)

Need to contact
-Experts who can give some neutral view of this plan
-Mr Werner Schmidt; Public Information Officer, capital master plan.
Tel. (917) 367-5420Fax (917) 367-5377