The United Nations at 70: Restoration and Renewal

Description

Not since The U.N. Building (2005) has a book on the UN complex buildings been done and this book is the first since the landmark restoration process was completed in early 2015. It will be of interest to architects and architecture lovers, as well as to those interested in this unique institution. The book chronicles the completion of the restoration of the entire UN building complex - a mid-century masterpiece that was decaying and is now resplendent, appropriate to the UN's important role in the twenty-first century. Emerging out of its consideration of the UN buildings, the book explores the symbolism of these structures and the ongoing UN mission to promote peace, charity, and respect for all peoples throughout the world.

Ban Ki-moon is the Secretary General of the UN. Martti Ahtisaari is the former president of Finland, and a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Carter Wiseman is a writer and editor at Associated Press and Newsweek, and former architecture critic for New York Magazine. He teaches at the Yale School of Architecture, and is past president of the MacDowell Colony.

"Bright, glossy color before-and-after exterior and interior photos and numerous black-and-white historical shots fill [The United Nations at 70]. Photos of the UN's design are a particular delight elements such as inlaid-wood door motifs and wallpaper designs . . . Architects and preservationists will appreciate the details of the renovation process, and general readers interested in mid-century architecture will enjoy poring over the many photos." -LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEWS "[The United Nations at 70: Restoration and Renewal] offers an insider's guided tour during and after renovations of what Mr. Wiseman writes is one building that 'can claim its place on the list of international landmarks as a symbol of the world's most enduring aspiration: peace.'" -THE NEW YORK TIMES