United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Executive Board

Transcription

1 ex United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Executive Board Hundred and sixtieth Session 160 EX/32 PARIS, 22 September 2000 Original: French Item 7.9 of the provisional agenda REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL, IN COOPERATION WITH THE HEADQUARTERS COMMITTEE, ON THE PROGRESS OF WORK UNDER THE PLAN FOR THE RESTORATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF HEADQUARTERS BUILDINGS SUMMARY This document reports on the progress of the studies and work scheduled under the Belmont Plan for the restoration and improvement of UNESCO Headquarters for the period in accordance with 30 C/Resolution 76 and 159 EX/Decision 6.6, whereby the Director-General is requested to report thereon at each regular session, in consultation with the Headquarters Committee. Decision required: paragraph 29.

2 160 EX/32 STATUS OF THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORK OF RENOVATING HEADQUARTERS BUILDINGS I. Under the regular budget Amount of funds committed at 11 September 2000 Amount in $ Item 24,746 Assistance for programme definition 39,650 Assistance to the contracting authority for preparation of the administrative and technical documents 8,820 Reproduction of documents and plans; cost of mailing and advertising bids 87,992 Architectural and engineering team for kitchens 161,208 Total Safety work 1. The search for an architectural and engineering team for the work of bringing the Fontenoy building into line with current safety standards (fire and electricity) was carried out in two stages: the international call for applications which was circulated via the Permanent Delegations and resulted in 33 applications. The shortlisting of candidates to whom tender documents (specifications and the rules governing the consultation) were to be sent, on the criteria of their competence, references and resources, proved difficult on account of the very high standard of the applications. The selection will therefore be organized in two stages, with an initial shortlisting based on the amount of remuneration requested, followed by a more indepth review, in October 2000, when those candidates making the best bids will be required to visit the site. Candidates will have one month in which to respond to the call for bids. The name of the successful architectural and engineering team will therefore be known at the end of October A phase will then begin of detailed studies culminating in the preparation of the tender documents and the application for administrative authorizations to the Security Commission of the Paris Police Headquarters. The actual safety work could therefore get under way at the beginning of Renovation of the Fontenoy kitchens 2. During the preliminary outline phase, the architects had put at $1.1 million the cost of completing the second stage of the work of renovating the Fontenoy kitchens. The funds earmarked for the operation having been limited to $824,100 by decision of the Executive Board at its 159th session, the second part of the renovation work will be confined to that part of the installations located on the seventh floor, and will therefore exclude refurbishment of the kitchen storerooms located in the basement of the building. 3. The studies for the final design and the tender documents commenced in September and will be completed in November After that planning phase, the Secretariat will consult firms by calling for bids. The work, which will last three and a half months, should be carried

3 160 EX/32 page 2 out between February and May 2001, and hence be completed just before the Executive Board s spring session. Steering Committee 4. As he announced at the 159th session of the Executive Board, the Director-General has established a Steering Committee to assist him in supervising the project for the restoration and improvement of Headquarters buildings (Belmont Plan) and in ensuring the house-wide coordination of all aspects of its implementation, including the social aspects. A Blue Note was issued to this end on 27 July Fund-raising 5. At present, raising funds to finance the end of Phase 1 and the following phases of the Belmont Plan has not progressed significantly, except insofar as Mr Joseph Belmont has, at the Secretariat s request, written an easy-to-read 15-page document summarizing his report and recapitulating in particular the costs and timetable of the operation. The document, which exists in English and French, should alert policy-makers and generous donors to the Organization s needs regarding the renovation of its architectural heritage. Reflections on a policy of maintenance 6. Being aware that the poor state of Headquarters buildings is due to inadequate maintenance for many years, mainly for economic reasons, the Secretariat has asked Mr Joseph Belmont to pursue the reflection already initiated in his report regarding the definition and establishment of a policy of maintenance commensurate with the true scale of the problem. This process is under way and should produce proposals for submission to the Executive Board at its 2001 spring session. Preparation of a design brief 7. The Executive Board invited the Director-General to prepare a design brief setting out UNESCO s accommodation requirements, in the light of the reform of the Organization, to guide the design of the long-term restoration and improvement project. That reform, not having yet been completed in regard to restructuring and decentralization, it has not been possible to prepare the design brief. II. Funds raised on the occasion of the Organization s fiftieth anniversary Amount of funds committed at 11 September 2000 Amount in $ Item 7,770 Assistance to the contracting authority for preparation of the administrative and technical documents 1,854 Reproduction of documents and plans; cost of mailing and advertising bids 97,000 Architectural and engineering team for replacement of furniture

4 160 EX/32 page 3 Amount in $ Item 5,451 Preparation of work (analyses, removals, etc.) 117,908 Work 229,983 Total 8. Public and private cash contributions amounted in 1999 to $630,000. That sum, invested in an interest-bearing fund, has now grown to approximately $670, The Headquarters Committee has decided to earmark the sum for renovating the interior of the conference hall, that is, an easily identifiable area. The renovation will involve three distinct work sites or items: replacement of the flooring, restoration of the ceiling and walls, and replacement of the furniture. The Headquarters Committee has entrusted Mr Joseph Belmont with an advisory mission in regard to this renovation operation. Replacement of the flooring 10. Generally speaking, Mr Joseph Belmont is extremely concerned, as regards both this particular area and the building as a whole, to restore the building to its original state as at the time of construction, that is, by using the same materials and the same colour schemes. To restore the flooring to its original state, the archives have revealed that the then architects had intended the floor to be cork-surfaced throughout Headquarters; however, with insufficient funds available, they had been obliged to make do with cork surfacing for one third only of the total area, notably in the conference hall area; the remaining two thirds, essentially in the corridors and offices, were covered with linoleum. It has indeed been possible to find samples of the original cork, which is darker in colour than that to be seen before the renovation work. Hence the material that has just been laid is the original material (cork from Portugal), in the original shade (dark brown), with such improvements as modern technology brings in the form of plastic (PVC) coating that allows wear and tear to be reduced and puncturing by sharp pointed objects (e.g. high heels) to be minimized. Restoration of the ceiling and walls 11. It was essential that the walls and ceiling be dry-cleaned to avoid damaging the area. The Historic Monuments Laboratory of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication provided assistance, free of charge, to determine the best technique to use. Several tests were carried out under its auspices: spraying with seaweed-, clay- and latex-based products. Latex was found to give the best results since, once dry, the latex-based product can be peeled off like a skin, pulling away the particles of dust and dirt in the process. 12. An international call for tenders was launched for the application of this product, and a Belgian firm was selected on the strength of its proficiency, references and quality/price ratio. The product was applied to the ceiling and concrete and stone walls of the conference hall in August 2000, following the work of resurfacing the floor, so that the area could be returned to use as planned by the beginning of September 2000.

5 160 EX/32 page 4 Replacement of furniture 13. Replacing the furniture will be the task of the architectural and engineering team (interior designer) selected following an international call for applications, which was circulated among the Permanent Delegations, and attracted 22 applications from candidates of various nationalities. The specifications were addressed, in keeping with Item 1025 of the Administrative Manual, to six of these candidates, of four different nationalities, who were invited to submit, in addition to a financial bid, proposals for a new covering for the telephone booths. The candidate whose bid most closely approximated to the original spirit of the building s designers (simplicity, rigour, clarity) was awarded the contract. 14. The deadline for completion of the task, which will last one year, was decided upon jointly by the designer and the contracting authority at the time of finalizing the contract. A planning stage (preliminary outline, final design, tender documents) is anticipated prior to the actual manufacture of the new furniture, such that it should be in place for the next session of the General Conference. III. Extrabudgetary funds Renovation of the Japanese Garden 15. UNESCO s Japanese Garden is the work of Isamu Noguchi, a United States sculptor of Japanese origin (Los Angeles, 1904-New York, 1988) who produced a number of sculpted gardens, notably in the Peace Park (Hiroshima, 1951). The garden was laid out in 1958 by Toemon Sano, a master landscape architect of great repute in Japan. The garden, a gift of the Japanese Government, forms part of the Organization s heritage in the same way as do the building itself and the art works installed there; after 40 years, however, it was in need of comprehensive restoration, which has just been completed with Japanese public and private funding totalling $210, The work began in September 1999 and was carried out by Japanese and French gardeners under the direction of Mr Toemon Sano. Following a precise diagnosis of the state of health of the plants, Mr Toemon Sano first identified the diseased trees (prunus Sakoura) that had to be cut down to prevent the spread of cankers throughout the garden; once the stumps had been dug out, the area was scorched, and the gardeners laid down a substratum composed of plant-mould, heath-mould, sand and peat. 17. Mr Toemon Sano wished to make a gift of native Japanese flowering cherries to replace the diseased trees; however, a European directive bans the import, into the territory of the European Union, of certain species of flowering cherry on account of the phytopathological risks presented by these plants; as a result, substitute plants had to be found in a tree nursery in Germany. All plants that were dead (Scots pines, rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias), diseased (flowering cherry) or degenerate (broad-leaved bamboos) have thus been replaced by similar, if not identical, trees and shrubs. 18. Five large pine trees were thus transported from Germany, carefully unloaded by means of a crane, laid on the ground and shrouded. Mr Toemon Sano s team then carried out a specific pruning operation, in the Japanese manner, on the new trees and on those already standing, which had not been trimmed for a long time. 19. An object rather like a viewpoint indicator, which will also serve as a position finder and explanatory chart for the symbolism of the typical features of the garden (arched bridge,

6 160 EX/32 page 5 stone lanterns, moss and bamboos, pebble pits, standing stones, etc.) is being designed and produced by a Japanese graphic design studio on the basis of texts in Japanese sent us by Mr Toemon Sano. A brochure presenting the Japanese Garden and illustrated with colour photographs will be available to members of the public visiting the buildings of the Organization. 20. The Director-General will symbolically plant the last tree, an almond, at a ceremony scheduled for 21 September 2000, to mark the end of the renovation work on the garden. Renovation of the Commissary 21. The procedure used by the Commissary Manager to recruit an architect to renovate the Commissary premises was deemed by the Contracts Committee to be in breach of the rules laid down in the Administrative Manual. The Division of Studies and Planning of Headquarters Renovation Work, GES/R, was accordingly requested to repeat the procedure for recruiting an architectural and engineering team on behalf of the Commissary. 22. The cost of the work having been put at approximately 1.7 million francs exclusive of VAT under the previous informal consultation, tender documents comprising a schedule, a draft contract and plans will be sent to architectural agencies specializing in the design of stores and presentation stands. The outcome of this consultation is expected to be known during the final quarter of It is specified that the cost of renovating and modernizing the Commissary will be met solely out of the Commissary s funds. IV. Recruitment of a Project Director 24. In pursuance of the decisions adopted by the Executive Board at its 159th session (15-26 May 2000), the Secretariat has launched an open recruitment procedure to engage a Project Director for the purpose of implementing the Belmont Plan for the initial period. The procedure involves two stages: an international call for applications, followed by the consultation of at least six candidates shortlisted from among the applications received. 25. Call for applications: a document describing the tasks that will be entrusted to the candidate appointed was distributed in English and French to the Permanent Delegations at the beginning of the second half of July It was also published in the specialist press in France (Le Moniteur des Travaux Publics et du Bâtiment). Candidates had until 4 September 2000 to submit their applications to the Bureau of the Comptroller of UNESCO. Following the 7 September meeting of the Headquarters Committee, it was decided to put back the deadline for the receipt of applications until early October Permanent Delegations have been so informed and a rectification notifying the change has been published in Le Moniteur des Travaux Publics et du Bâtiment. 26. Consultation of candidates: the applications received at the end of the previous stage will be examined, and at least six candidates, of various nationalities, will be shortlisted as provided in the Administrative Manual. They will receive a list of specifications which will constitute the tender document. 27. The shortlisting of the six candidates will be undertaken in mid-october 2000 on the criteria of their competence, references and resources. The shortlisted candidates will have

7 160 EX/32 page 6 one month in which to respond to the specifications sent to them. The final choice of Project Director could thus be made by the end of November In order to meet the request of the Executive Board not to create a new post, the contract will be concluded with a firm making a Project Manager and team available to UNESCO in order to supervise the operation. DRAFT DECISION 29. In the light of the above, the Executive Board may wish to examine, with a view to its adoption, the following draft decision: TheExecutiveBoard, 1. Having examined document 160 EX/32, 2. Takes note of the schedule of studies and work under the Belmont Plan for the restoration and improvement of Headquarters buildings; 3. Invites the Director-General to continue his efforts to seek funding for the subsequent stages of the Belmont Plan in pursuance of 30 C/Resolution 76 of the General Conference.

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