The UN Headquarters in New York City was designed in the 1940s by a board of 11 architects from different countries led by Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier. They developed 50 schemes collaboratively and the final design incorporated elements of Niemeyer's Project 32 and Le Corbusier's Project 23. The complex features a distinctive General Assembly building based on Le Corbusier's design, meeting rooms in a long horizontal block, and a tall Secretariat tower. The modern International Style was chosen to symbolize a new era of global cooperation.

1. Location International
territory in
Manhattan, New York City
Type Office
Started 1947; 74
years ago
Completed 1952; 69
years ago
Floor count 39
Architects Le Corbusier,
Oscar Niemeyer , Wallace
Harrison, and others
UN Headquarters
Prepared by Yohannes Medhin UU77531E

2. History
With the effects of World War II still looming
throughout the world, the United Nations decided to
invite prominent architects from the founding
nations to work in collaborative, symbolic peaceful
manner rather than holding a competition.
In 1947, the UN commissioned a board that consisted of 11
architects Oscar Niemeyer (Brazil), Le Corbusier (France)
Ernest Cormier (Canada) N. D. Bassov of the Soviet Union,
Gaston Brunfaut (Belgium), Liang Seu-cheng (China), Sven
Markelius (Sweden), Howard Robertson (United Kingdom),
G. A. Soilleux (Australia), and Julio Vilamajó (Uruguay).

3. History
They elaborated 50 different schemes that were then
criticized, analyzed and reworked by the whole team.
All of the Board's architects believed that modernism
transcended national and cultural differences; they were
determined to demonstrate this to the world by conceiving
together "a workshop for peace," an expression often used
by Harrison to name the future headquarters.
Every scheme and every model was thoroughly discussed in
order to reach a consensus.
Over time the different architectural elements of the UN
Headquarters became designed.
However the two determining schemes for the project were
between Oscar Niemeyer’s scheme and Le Corbusier’s
scheme.

4. Design
After much discussion ,it was determined that a design
based on Niemeyer's project 32 and Le Corbusier's project
23 would be developed for the final project.
Le Corbusier's project 23 consisted of a large block
containing both the Assembly Hall and the Council
Chambers near the center of the site with the Secretariat
tower emerging as a slab from the south.
Niemeyer's plan was closer to that actually constructed,
with a distinctive General Assembly building, a long low
horizontal block housing the other meeting rooms, and a
tall tower for the Secretariat. The complex as built, however,
repositioned Niemeyer's General Assembly building to the
north of this tripartite composition. This plan included a
public plaza as well.

5. Design
The General Assembly Hall is the largest room in the United
Nations, with seating capacity for over 1,800 people. The
design of the room was a collaborative effort, however the
concrete chamber was based on Le Corbusier's design
(scheme 23).
Le Corbusier’s heavy, concrete General Assembly building is
the heart of the United Nations diplomatic enforcement.
The low statured building has an iconic dome atop a
concavely compressed volume that houses the various
departments’ assembly halls.
Corbusier’s hall internalizes all of its functions creating a
heavy, masked quality, which evokes a monolithic and
powerful stance within the city and the UN complex. The
circular space creates a strong sense of inclusion that wraps
the seated diplomats around the podium and the Secretary
General’s desk. To emphasize the international character of
the room it contains no gift from any Member State.
The General Assembly Hall

6. It’s modern, International Style aesthetic was an intentional decision
by Niemeyer and the rest of the collaborating architects as a way in
which to symbolize change that embodies a sense of “newness” that
sheds light on the optimistic future of the world’s nations working
together as one collective body rather than the disparate warring
units of the past.
It shimmer in the sunlight and the water of the East River that while
even though permanent in structure appears as an ever changing
entity that is constantly adapting to the atmospheric conditions and
the surrounding context.
It’s modern, International Style aesthetic was an intentional decision
by the collaborating architects as a way in which to symbolize change
that embodies a sense of “newness” that sheds light on the optimistic
future of the world’s nations working together as one collective body
rather than the disparate warring units of the past.
The Secretariat Building

7. Influence
It showed architects from different parts of the world could come
together working for a shared vision and create an iconic building.
The building style has inspired some notable copies, including the
Headquarters of South Lanarkshire Council in Hamilton, Scotland,
known locally as the "County Buildings".
It also inspired the construction of other curtain wall buildings in
Manhattan, such as the Lever House, Corning Glass Building, and
Springs Mills Building.