Inauguration of the Hall of the Emirates of the United Palace in Ginebra

The Emirates Room, the former Room XVII, of the United Nations Palace in Geneva, whose rehabilitation and modernization has cost 22 million dollars, has been fully funded by the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates Nations at the UN Headquarters in Geneva.

The inauguration was chaired by the Ambassador of the Emirates in the Mission, Mr. Obaid Salem Saeed Al Zaabi, and the General Director of the United Nations Office in Geneva, Mr. Michael Møller. The project has been created and designed by the architects Siavosh Adeli & Joakim de Rham, the first being in charge of the technical and facultative management of the same.

The concept of the new Room revolves around three essential elements in the daily life of the Emirates people: the sky, the desert and their traditional clothing, always white, composed by the kandura and the gutra to cover the head.

Elements that in the Room are symbolized by the ceiling, in which the sky is visualized; by the floor carpet, in different shades of the reddish sands of the desert; and for the comfortable white seats, in the image of the traditional Emirates people. In addition to other reasons that evoke local hobbies, such as horses and falconry.

The Italian company CCM, specialized in interior furniture for airports and large public spaces, has been the main contractor that has committed the integral reform of the Room. For the realization of the roof, CCM has entrusted to BGL the supply, the installation and the integration of the audiovisual technology that allows to recreate the visualization of the Emirates sky in up to six different time zones of the day.

The most moving moment of the inauguration ceremony occurred when the UAE Project Manager requested the BGL engineers, who traveled for the occasion, to launch the audiovisual demonstration, which allowed attendees to visualize the Emirati sky and the passing of the clouds for the same for several minutes.