Page 28 - DIVA_1_2015

des actions

t the beginning of igig, one a number of smaller meeting rooms, a of 4.5 million Swiss francs was totally
search
1925 the
of the first actions of the Paris Council chamber, a library and 5oo of- inadequate. During
began for a larger piece of land and the
Peace Conference following fices for the growing staff of the League. budget was increased to 11.7 million
the First World War was to set up the Swiss francs. The jury examined a num-
League of Nations. The Secretariat was The most obvious solution was to build ber of sites and in January 'ig:6 recom-
first located in London. but in October a large extension on the Lausanne side mended the purchase of six hectares of
ig:o tlie League moved to its perma- of the Palais Wilson. Given the vocation land located between the rue de Lau-
nent home in Geneva. For its headquar- of the League of Nations, it would be sanne and the lake shore at Secheron
ters, the League purchased the old H8tel desirable to hold an international archi- - an area laiown nowadays as the Pare
National on the lake front for 5.5 million tectural competition. The fifth Assem- Mon Repos andthe Perle du Lac. In view
Swiss francs. In 1924 this building was bly in 1924 accepted that a competition of the larger area available for construc-
renamed the Palais Wilson and in the should be held and asked the Council tion, the programme and rules of the
same year the road in front of it became of the League to organize it. In Novem- architechiral competition could now be
the Quai Wilson, in memory of Ameri- ber 1924, the Council set up a jury of finalized. Specifications were issued in
can President Woodrow Wilson. who architects who would establish the rules English and French in April 1926. They
had supported the idea of Geneva as the of this competition and subsequently described an edifice that would house all
host city. select the winner. The jury consisted
of six recognized architects, one each the League's organs and allow the dele-
In November 1920, the first General from Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, gates and staff to carry out their work
By now the
and serenely.
independently
Assembly of the League was held in Switzerland and the United Kingdom. building budget had been increased to
and desi-
Geneva's Salle de la Reformation. This The famous Belgian architect
building, located between the rue du gner Victor Horta was the chairman. i3 million Swiss francs.
decided to
Rh6ne and the rue Versonnex, was the Soon, however, the Council In 1923 a national competition had
site of the first nine annual assemblies, increase the number of members to nine already been carried out in Switzerland
while the Hotel Victoria, which lay next by admitting architects from the Nether- to design a head office for the Inter-
door, served as an office building during lands, Spain and Sweden. The tasl<s that national Labour Organisation. A clear
these meetings. It was eventually de- the jury were expected to carry out were winner had been selected and construe-
cided that the Salle was inadequate for clearly defined and a budget of i65,ooo 1923 andig:6 -
this purpose because it was too small, Swiss francs was allocated to be distri- tioncarriedoutbetween as the Centre
is nowknown
this building
poorlyventilated and had bad acoustics. buted as prizes among the eight best William-Rappard, the headquarters of
The Salle was demolished in ig6g. From designs-one of which would be the the lAi7TO. The final cost of constructing
1930 to 1936 the annual assemblies took winner-as well as to recompense any this building was calculated and pro-
place in the Batiment Electoral situated worthy designs not considered as prize- vided the figure of 6o Swiss francs per
on the rue du Conseil-G6n6ral near the wxnners. cubic metre of its volume. If this same
Rond-point de Plain-Palais. However, formula were applied to the building for
in terms of a meeting room, this was not Alongside the jury, a Building Commit- the League of Nations, the budget of i3
an improvement. This building was des- tee was set up at the same time consis- million Swiss francs was equivalent to
in large-scale

troyed by fire in ig64. ting of professionals a volume of about 217,000ma. It was
construction work, who were expected figure was
realisedthatthis
As early as 1922, the League of Nations to advise the Secretary-General on the immediately to construct a building cor-
insufficient
realisedthat all ofits activities needed to practical side of carrying out the archi- responding to the specifications-when
talce place in one purpose-built building. tectural designs.
completed, the volume of the Palais des
The central feature should be an Assem- Nations would be well over double this
bly Hall big enough to seat at least 4oo At its first meeting in January 1925, the figure.
delegates, with a large tribune, room for jury very quickly came to the conclusion
for the ex-
the Secretariat officials, the press and that the plot of land foreseen The jury felt that opening the competi-
the general public-a total of 2,600 tension alongside the Palais Wilson was tion to all member states of the League
places. The building should also contain far too small. Furthermore, the budget
I 26 The Geneva Region