The United Nations has selected Skanska USA Building to serve as the construction manager for the UN’s Capital Master Plan (CMP) renovation and upgrading of the international agency’s headquarters in New York City. Skanska expects to perform the project on a phased basis through 2014, with a total anticipated value of the work being approximately $1 billion. Skanska will negotiate, and submit to the UN for approval, separate Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) contracts for each phase of the project.
The project involves a complete rebuild and renovation of the UN headquarters, comprising six buildings with total floor space of 2.6 million sf on 17 acres. The 39-story Secretariat Building was completed in 1950, followed by the Conference Building and General Assembly Building in 1951 and 1952, and other facilities, including the Dag Hammarskjold Library, North Lawn Building and South Annex Building, between 1961 and 1982. The rebuild and renovation is the largest investment in UN history.
Work is scheduled to begin in 2007 and proceed in stages through 2014. The UN will continue to operate during the entire construction period. One of the first phases will involve Skanska managing the construction of a temporary facility to house the General Assembly during the renovation. Skanska will also team closely with the UN CMP staff to assure that the project meets with the UN’s objective of being environmentally friendly. Skanska is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, and has approximately 3,800 employees.
