The Maison de la paix (literally: ''House of Peace'') is a building owned by the

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, or the Geneva Graduate Institute (french: Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement), abbreviated IHEID, is a government-accredited postgraduate institution ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The building was designed by Eric Ott of

Neuchâtel , neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier , twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (Fra ...

's IPAS firm. It serves as the headquarters for the Graduate Institute and houses the three Geneva Centres, which comprise the

Geneva Centre for Security Policy The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) is an international foundation that was established in 1995 under Swiss law to "promote the building and maintenance of peace, security and stability". The GCSP was founded by the Federal Department o ...

(GCSP), the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). It is the main element of the Campus de la paix (literally: ''Campus of Peace'').

Design

The Maison de la paix is constructed as a series of interconnected divisions. When seen from above, each division resembles a flower petal. Thus, each section of the building is known as a numbered "petal." The completed project consists of six petals, with petals one and two holding the main activities of the Graduate Institute and petals three through six housing the three Geneva Centres, all of which are supported by the

Swiss Confederation ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

as international foundations. The petal design allows for maximum use of light within the structure. Natural light is used to light and heat the building. Petals one through three have large, open atriums that use skylights to "pull" sunlight from the roof through the center of each petal. These, and other features, help make the Maison de la paix one of the greenest buildings in

Suisse Romande Romandy (french: Romandie or )Before World War I, the term French Switzerland (french: Suisse française) waalso used german: Romandie or , it, Romandia, rm, Romanda) is the French-speaking part of western Switzerland. In 2020, about 2 milli ...

at the time of is construction, according to the architect.

The Graduate Institute at the Maison de la paix

The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Library

The first two petals were inaugurated in September 2013 with the annual Opening Lecture given by

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founde ...

, one of the Institute's most well-known alumnus. Classes for the Graduate Institute concurrently commenced in the Maison de la paix. The Maison de la paix houses the classroom space for most of the Graduate Institute's masters and PhD programme courses as well as the office space for its professors and administration. The Maison de la paix is home to the Davis Library, named after alumna and benefactor Kathryn Wasserman Davis and her husband

Shelby Cullom Davis Shelby Cullom Davis (April 1, 1909 – May 26, 1994) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist from the state of New York. In 1947 he created Shelby Cullom Davis & Company, which became a leading investment firm. He later ser ...

. The library hosts 350,000 physical volumes dedicated to the Graduate Institute's areas of study in international and development studies.

The three Geneva centres

Petals three through six host the following centers which work in international peace and security policy: * The

(GCSP) * The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) including the Gender and Mine Action Programme (GMAP) * The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF)

Notes and references

External links

Le Conseil fédéral et le Conseil d'Etat genevois présentent la nouvelle institution (IHEID) moteur du Pôle académique en études internationales
(Swiss Government Press Release)

(Swissinfo.org) * ttp://tagesschau.sf.tv/nachrichten/archiv/2006/06/02/schweiz/33631 Bund beteiligt sich an Genfer Hochschulinstitut(SF, Swiss Television) {{authority control 01 Buildings and structures in Geneva Higher education in Switzerland Research institutes in Switzerland Schools in Geneva Think tanks based in Switzerland Buildings and structures under construction in Switzerland