When Michael Adlerstein (LF ’86) was appointed Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Capital Master Plan in 2007, his role may have seemed to be outside the realm of the institution’s international diplomacy mandate. Yet the ambitious restoration and rehabilitation of the United Nations (UN) Headquarters proved to be an exercise in diplomacy through design, headed by Adlerstein and a team of exemplary designers and architects. Considering the UN’s unique position as an international body, housed in a building that resides in Manhattan, but isn’t governed by Federal mandates, New York State or City building regulations, the intricacies of budgeting for, designing and constructing its top-to-bottom refurbishment required a level of diplomacy worthy of the most seasoned UN negotiator. In February, the GSD hosted Josep Lluis Sert Council members for a private tour showcasing the newly unveiled renovation, led by Adlerstein, who served as a Loeb Fellow in 1986.

The refurbishing of the UN Headquarters got its start in 2007, when the New York City Mayor’s office warned that emergency personnel and first responders might be unable to service the UN Headquarters because it was unsafe for them to enter. According the Adlerstein, the building had been declining for decades since its 1952 construction, largely because of funding shortages, the fire prevention and other building systems had become fundamentally unsafe and didn’t meet New York City building codes. Yet because neither the City nor the State had jurisdiction over the UN building, no government agency could enforce building regulations. Repairs to the building had to be voluntary, but the very real possibility of not having fire and police protection in case of a security or safety threat was a compelling motivator.....Continue Reading

> via gsd.harvard.edu