We are all under one roof – our proposal for the new International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Headquarters stems from a vision of creating a humane, enabling environment for all humanity under one roof – our planet Earth. And our hope is that the role of IOM as a leading organisation in this process is to embody that vision in its new home.
The IOM headquarters is conceived as a simple response to the environmental, programmatic and social conditions of its context. Like its neighbouring monumental oak trees, the building is firmly rooted on ground in an earthy base and a vertical trunk/core that supports a lightweight timber structure creating open and flexible spaces for IOM functions all under one roof.
The massing and peculiar shape of the timber framed volume is a literal response to the preservation of the historic oak trees, the regulatory requirements for neighbouring buildings and a singular diagonal cut to produce a roof that also benefits from the optimal orientation to the sun for solar energy. The result is an ecologically conscious building with a unique form with a very pragmatic shape on the south-west side, contrasting with a soft undulating flag-like form on the north-east facade. There is a chance that the architecture may outlive the century old oak trees that shape it, even then the thoughtful gesture will remain a symbol of IOM’s values and identity.
