William Rappard Centre - renovation and extension

Since its creation in 1995, the World Trade Organisation has never stopped growing, reaching its maximum capacity inside the existing headquarters, the "Centre William Rappard". The decision of the WTO to stay in the actual site has provoked a reflexion on requalifying the different existing spaces and future renovation. The process of the transformation has been divided into three different phases : the renovation of the building itself, the "intramuros" projects and the extra-muros extension of the WTO. This third part - a new building - will be realized through a process of an international competition.

The internal transformation will feature:

- the renovation of all existing offices
- the refurbishing of all conference spaces
- the creation in the north courtyard of a new delegate's free-flow space (1000 m²) through a transparent covering of the roof
- the creation of a new congress center in the south courtyard, sheltering 400 hundred delegates

The renovation of the existing offices gives the opportunity to update the infrastructure of the building and to improve the energy consumption. The flexibility and the layout of the offices are transformed to give a brighter and friendly character.