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Dutch creativity revives an informal meeting space for diplomats at the United Nations
The United Nations complex is in the midst of a five-year extensive renovation after sixty years of intensive use that has taken a toll on the Manhattan headquarters. Each of the 193 member nations was invited to contribute to the makeover. The Netherlands government chose to adopt the Delegates' Lounge adjoining the General Assembly Hall, and selected one of four competing teams to execute the project. Dutch designer Hella Jongerius, Rem Koolhaas and his firm OMA, graphic designer Irma Boom, artist Gabriel Lester, and theoretician Louise Schouwenberg collaborated closely to infuse the old lounge with a fresh new look. It is a showcase of Dutch creativity that builds on the idealism of the postwar era, in which leading architects including Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier created an enduring symbol of international cooperation.
"This was the first interior I have done, because I don't feel comfortable working at that scale," says Jongerius, who is best known for her ceramics and furniture. Her apprehension was well-founded: the soaring, twenty-three-foot-high space is lit by floor-to-ceiling north-facing windows that capture views of the East River, and the designers had to...