It took eleven months of civil-engineering work to restore one of the best-known symbols of CERN, the Globe of Science and Innovation (or the Globe for short).
An inauguration ceremony was held on 18 April 2016, attended by representatives of the Swiss Confederation, the local authorities, the media and CERN management.
“The Globe has become an essential tool for CERN and a part of the landscape of international Geneva. It is a point of reference for CERN’s neighbours,” said Charlotte Warakaulle, CERN Director for International Relations, in her speech during the ceremony.
The ambitious renovation project was needed to replace the arcs that form the outer spherical structure of the Globe, and to renovate the exterior ramps and sun baffles.
Frédéric Magnin, head of Civil Engineering and Buildings (CEB) is very pleased with how the works have gone: “The wooden structure of the Globe makes it a unique type of building,” he explains. “It is also intended to be a symbol of sustainable development,” according to its original design scope – to house the Swiss national “Expo 2002” exhibition in Neuchâtel. “Renovating the building, respecting its uniqueness while honouring its sustainability has been the most challenging part of the project,” he continues.
At the start of the renovation project, several modifications to the initial plan were necessary. For example, some of the sun baffles were found to be in a poorer condition than anticipated. The project team, in close collaboration with the architects from Groupe H and the design office Charpente Concept, which supervised the renovation, made the decision to replace one third of them.
“We also had to modify the design of the external ramps, but we ended up with something that’s both easier to maintain and more sustainable than we had foreseen in the initial plan, while also keeping the budget fully under control,” Magnin happily notes.
The Globe is open to the public from Monday to Saturday (except during official CERN closures), from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The programme of lectures and events for the general public will restart at the end of April. For more information, see here.