Ban Ki-moon Reopens Danish Masterpiece at United Nations Headquarters
Press photos attached below text
Press photos of the restored chamber at www.kulturstyrelsen.dk/english
Get press photos from the ceremony via Dropbox
UN photo http://www.unmultimedia.org/photo/
Today, the Trusteeship Council Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York was reopened.
For the past three years, the Trusteeship Council Chamber at the UN, originally designed by renowned Danish architect Finn Juhl in 1952, has been closed for a grand-scale restoration. In a close collaboration between the UN and the government of Denmark, the Trusteeship Council Chamber has been completely restored and updated with new furniture, designed by Danish design-duo Kasper Salto and Thomas Sigsgaard.
It now stands as a perfect example of both the legacy and the future of Danish architecture and design in one of the most iconic buildings in New York.
In attendance at the opening ceremony was H.E. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, HRH the Crown Princess of Denmark, Executive Director of the UN Capital Master Plan, Assistant Secretary-General Michael Adlerstein and designers Kasper Salto and Thomas Sigsgaard.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
“I thank Denmark for its extraordinary support for this room, from its birth until today – its re-birth.”
“The Trusteeship Council Chamber is an inclusive room where everyone can easily communicate. It fosters dialogue. Although we no longer meet here on trust territories, we will hold many important discussions in this Chamber. I am confident that they will further advance the values of the United Nations.”
HRH the Crown Princess of Denmark:
"All around the world, design continues to influence the lives of people. And design – perhaps more so than ever - has the power to play a transformative role in how dialogue is conducted in our global community. As this refurbished Chamber symbolises, Danish Design combines the qualities of being modern, cosmopolitan, democratic and respectful of human beings – it considers our immediate daily needs, as well as our complex cultural histories and dreams of a brighter future."
Assistant Secretary-General Michael Adlerstein:
“The fusion of Kasper Salto’s and Thomas Sigsgaard's elegant new tables and chairs with the character-defining features of Finn Juhl's landmark design invites us to rediscover a masterpiece of modern design in the renovated Trusteeship Council Chamber.”
Designers Kasper Salto and Thomas Sigsgaard:
“The balance between contrasting and blending into Juhl’s existing interior has been the major question for us in this project.”
“Our motto has been letting the furniture add to the existing room by having them consist of as few elements and parts as possible. Respecting the room and the consequent use of wood in the room.”
The restoration of the Trusteeship Council Chamber was carried out as a collaborative effort by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Danish Ministry of Culture, Realdania and the United Nations.
Photo attached - below text
Photo captions:
1) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gives his remarks in the restored chamber
2) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and HRH the Crown Princess of Denmark in the new secretariat chairs by Salto & Sigsgaard
3) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and HRH the Crown Princess of Denmark, Mr. Michael Adlerstein and designers Kasper Salto & Thomas Sigsgaard
4) The restored Trusteeship Council Chamber
5) “Council chair”: The new secretariat chair for the Trusteeship Council Chamber by Salto & Sigsgaard
Photo credit 1-3: Benjamin Kürstein
Photo credit 4-5: Hans Ole Madsen
MORE PHOTOS
Press photos of the restored chamber at www.kulturstyrelsen.dk/english
Press photos from the ceremony
UN photo http://www.unmultimedia.org/photo/
Webstream via webtv.un.org
Photos also available through Scanpix and Polfoto.
Press contact:
Marianne Stroem Hansen
Head of Communications
Danish Agency for Culture
msh@kulturstyrelsen.dk / +45 2145 2440
Ulla Dubgaard
Head of Press & Communications
Consulate General of Denmark in New York
ulldub@um.dk / +1 212 705 4939
