RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/ 630 
1 May  2023  
(23-2983) Page: 1/5 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
 
STRATEGIC FACILITIES PLAN  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  The WTO's Strategic Facilities Plan (SFP) documents the strategy to implement and finance 
maintenance programmes and renovations for buildings located on the WTO premises. It is a guide 
for the various building maintenance requirements, conference room renovations , and safety and 
security needs.  
1.2.  The aim of this paper is to establish an ongoing short and medium -term strategy to ensure 
that plans are detailed for the maintenance, renovation, manage ment of technical installations, and 
replacement of various aspects of the WTO facilities. It builds on previous versions submitted to the 
CBFA since 2018 - the most recent version having been presented to the CBFA in 2021.1  
1.3.  The WTO premises contain seve n buildings and the Chinese Gusu Garden. These buildings, 
spread over a surface of 5.5 hectares, are: the Centre William Rappard (CWR), the Extramuros (EM) 
including the underground carpark with 200 parking spaces, the Welcome Pavilion (BCI), the Salle 
William Rappard (Room CR), the Villa Rappard, and the Villas des Chênes 1 & 2. Three of these 
buildings -- the CWR, the BCI and the EM, as well as the Gusu Garden -- are owned by the WTO. 
Room CR is owned and maintained by the Fondation des Immeubles pour les  Organisations 
Internationales (FIPOI). The Villa Rappard and Villas des Chênes 1 & 2 are maintained by the WTO 
in its capacity as sole user of the buildings though owned by the Republic and Canton of Geneva.  
2  BUILDINGS AND CAPITAL EQUIPMENT  
2.1.  The total gross  areas of the CWR and the EM building amount to 46,000 square meters. These 
two buildings currently house approximately 850 people, comprising of staff members, consultants, 
interns , and Young Professionals. They also host technical infrastructure and inst allations such as 
high-voltage transformers, Heating, Ventilation and Airconditioning production and distribution 
networks, the data centre and server rooms, and emergency generators.  
2.2.  There are ten conference rooms with capacities ranging from 24 to 708 se ats. These conference 
rooms are equipped with audio discussion systems and virtual meetings facilities. In addition, there 
are 12 communal meeting rooms with an average capacity of 16 seats, some equipped with video -
conferencing facilities.  
2.3.  As to h eating , ventilation , and air conditioning on the WTO site, there are 17 ventilation blocks, 
a dozen cooling cabinets, 4 boilers , and a 200,000 -liter capacity fuel tank. These large installations 
operate with motors whose operational lifetime can vary from 5 to 10 years. They will require 
replacement in the medium to long term, taking into account the innovation in new technologies to 
create more energy efficient and environment -friendly facilities.  
2.4.  There are 298 toilet stalls and 35 showers in the CWR and EM buildi ngs. The restrooms in the 
CWR were renovated in 2011 and 2012 , and those in the EM have not been renovated since this 
building was newly occupied in 2012.  
2.5.  The WTO -owned buildings have a total of 17 kitchenettes  – 12 in the CWR and 5 in the EM 
building. In addition, there is a fully equipped professional kitchen in the EM restaurant (containing 
heavy -duty ovens, refrigerators, cold rooms, etc.) and a smaller kitchen unit in the Atrium Cafeteria. 
The kitchenettes in the CWR were renova ted in 2011 and 2012. The kitchen and kitchenettes in the 
EM were new when the building was first occupied in 2012. The replacement of the kitchenettes is 
 
1 WT/BFA/W/444 . WT/BFA/W/ 630 
 
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 foreseen within the next five years and the replacement of the equipment in the kitchen is foreseen 
between 2026 and 2028.  
2.6.  The ageing condition of the roof of the CWR building required heavy maintenance and repair 
works. The WTO started renovation works on the roof in 2020. The project, which is financed by the 
FIPOI, will be completed before the end of 2023. These renovations are expected to preserve the 
roof for the next 15 years.  
2.7.  The CWR is heated by modern gas -fired boilers that can also run on oil if the supply of gas is 
interrupted. Given the complexity, intricacy , and sensitive nature of these mach ines, their control 
and supervision has been outsourced to an external service provider.  
2.8.  The EM building, which is very efficient in terms of insulation and ventilation, is heated by 
water -to-water heat pumps using lake water as part of the Geneva Lac Nati ons (GLN) project of the 
Geneva Industrial Services. The GLN also generates chilled water , which is used to refresh the air in 
the EM building, conference rooms in the CWR, Room CR , and several technical rooms in the 
buildings. Additional server rooms and control booths for conference rooms in the CWR building are 
connected to the GLN network, with the aim of having a more ecological solution using renewable 
energy and moving away from traditional air conditioning and hydrofluorocarbon gases, which 
have high global warming potential if leaked. Room CR and the Welcome Pavilion are heated by 
boilers located in the CWR.  
2.9.  The Villa Rappard and the Villas des Chênes 1 & 2 are heated by fuel boilers. Since these 
buildings do not belong to the WTO, there is little m argin of maneuvering  to optimize energy 
consumption in these buildings as this would require capital expenditure and approvals from the 
Republic and Canton of Geneva. As part of the energy efficiency plan, the Villa Rappard was closed 
during winter, due to  its very low insulation capacity and high energy intensive configuration.  
2.10.  The EM is a Minergie -P building, which is a standard that certifies buildings aiming at low 
energy consumption, namely: low energy costs for heating, cooling , and hot water producti on; and 
high airtightness of the building envelope.  
2.11.  Optimization of the facilities (data centre, boiler room, etc.), fine -tuning of parameters, and 
regular maintenance, are part of the ongoing measures taken to limit energy usage. In line with the 
energy e fficiency plan, the cooling temperatures in the data centre and server rooms w ere increased 
from 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, in October 2022, without any impact on the operations of the servers. 
In addition, works carried out regularly by technicians have ma de it possible to continuously 
maximize the efficiency of the heating systems.  
3  MEASURES TAKEN TO CONTAIN COSTS  
3.1.  Since the renovation of the CWR and the construction of the EM, as well as the commissioning 
phase that followed these projects, the Secretariat has made continuous efforts to reduce energy 
consumption. Reductions in energy consumption in the WTO relate not only to heating and cooling 
but also to electricity and water.  
3.2.  The geopolitical situation that the world witnessed in 2022 created an unprecede nted increase 
in the price of utilities, a s well as uncertainty as to the availability of gas and electricity. In line with 
the recommendations of the Swiss authorities , the Secretariat developed and implemented an action 
plan to reduc e energy consumption. The plan included delaying turning -on the central heating  each 
day, reducing the heating temperature setpoint in offices and conference rooms during winter, and 
increasing the air -conditioning temperature setpoint during summer. In addition, e xterior lights are 
extinguished earlier, at 10 pm.  Use of energy -efficient and motion sensor lighting inside the building 
had already been implemented.  
3.3.  For the CWR, a FIPOI -financed feasibility study is underway to explore solutions to i) improve 
the insul ation capacity of the building envelope ; ii) upgrade the heating and air -conditioning system 
to a more energy efficient one ; and iii) develop renewable energy sources including installation of 
solar panels and heating the building through the lake water.  WT/BFA/W/ 630 
 
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 4  ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS  
4.1.  In collaboration with the catering company that runs the on -site cafeteria, the Secretariat 
introduced the sale of surplus  food from the cafeteria and Atrium coffee shop, at the end of the day, 
at reduced prices . In addition, the Sec retariat requests the caterer to use, to the extent possible, 
short circuit and regional products at the restaurant.  Furthermore, single -use disposable plates and 
cutlery were substituted with reusable ones.  
4.2.  With the aim of reducing general waste and incre asing efficiencies and recycling, all individual 
trash bins in offices and communal meeting rooms were removed and replaced by central sorting 
bins in different locations.  
5  ACCESSIBILITY  
5.1.  The Secretariat is committed to reducing barriers for individuals with  disabilities. While most 
of the buildings are physically accessible, certain spaces are yet to be made accessible. A fixed 
wheelchair ramp was recently installed at the podium of conference room W. Furthermore, the 
Welcome Pavilion Desk as well as the Information Desk in the atrium will be adapted for wheelchairs, 
and a hearing loop system for hearing impaired will be installed on these two desks.  
6  SECURITY PERIMETER AND EQUIPMENT  
6.1.  A project to update the video surveillance, intercom, radio, anti -intrusio n, and the security 
access control system was completed in 2018. A preventive and corrective maintenance plan is in 
place for upgrading, replacing , and maintaining the equipment in 2024 and/or 2025.  
6.2.  A preventive and corrective maintenance plan is also in p lace for the security perimeter, 
including for bollards, automatic barriers, and harrows, to ensure a high level of physical security of 
the WTO site.  
7  CONFERENCE ROOM AUDIO AND VISUAL EQUIPMENT  
7.1.  WTO conference rooms are equipped with a BOSCH audio discussio n system , which allows for 
audio to pass back and forth between discussants, with a feed to and from interpreters. This system 
was installed in 2013 under the major CWR building renovation project. In 2018 some of the audio -
visual equipment was upgraded or  replaced based on industry standards of practice, factoring in 
obsolescence and compatibility.  
7.2.  The audio -visual equipment has a depreciable life of 10 years and a technological life of five to 
seven years. There are already major technical problems being encountered in the conference 
rooms. Based on industry best practices and manufacturers' guidelines, the equipment in the WTO 
conference rooms has exceeded these recommended lifespans. The conferencing system operates 
with analog technology , which is outda ted and difficult to integrate into the IT systems in place. 
Therefore, the conference room technology should be migrated to Internet Protocol (IP), for 
conformity with the existing WTO IT systems.  
7.3.  As part of the Proposed Utilization of the 2021 Budgetary Surplus2, the Secretariat requested 
funding to begin work immediately to replace the system. However, Members did not grant authority 
to the Secretariat to utilize the surplus. The Secretariat is now evaluating options given budget 
constraints a nd will formulate possible next steps.  
8  UPCOMING PROJECTS PROJECTED TO BE FUNDED FROM THE REGULAR BUDGET  
8.1.  Table 1 summarizes priority works and projects that are projected to be funded through the 
regular budget from 2023 to 2027 , conditional on the availability of budgetary funds. These projects 
are confined to essential maintenance, renovation and upgrades of facilities and equipment. They 
exclude replacement of obsolete furniture and other enhancements amounting to CHF 335,000.  
 
2 WT/BFA/W/614.  WT/BFA/W/ 630 
 
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 Table 1 Short Term Projects – 2023 to 2027 projected to be Funded from the Regular 
Budget  
PROJECTS  CHF 
Paint jobs and alteration works  300,000  
Upgrade and replacement of the EM restaurant equipment  70,000  
Conformity control of electrical installations  50,000  
Upgrade of physical security (video surveillance, electronic access control, intercom)  1,500,000  
New fire safety equipment (extinguishers, fire detection, batteries for fire doors, sound 
alarm)  425,000  
Access control for sensitive areas  200,000  
New security equipment (bollards, harrows, turnstiles , and lifts)  150,000  
Support and maintenance of A udio-visual equipment in conference rooms  425,000  
Standardisation of communal meeting rooms in terms of AV and Videoconferencing (VC) 
equipment  100,000  
TOTAL TO BE FUNDED THROUGH THE REGULAR BUDGET  3,220, 000 
 
9  UPCOMING PROJECTS TO BE FUNDED BY THE FIPOI  
9.1.  A Contract exists between the Swiss Confederation (represented by "Département fédéral des 
affaires étrangères" or "DFAE") and the FIPOI for an annual amount of CHF  1.1 million to be used 
exclusively for extraordinary works for the CWR building. In this re gard, the WTO Secretariat submits 
requests for maintenance and renovation works to the FIPOI for review and validation. After 
validation, the FIPOI selects the companies using its procurement policies, and the WTO technical 
services team oversees the works . The FIPOI makes payments directly to the selected companies 
for the work done.  
9.2.  Since 2013, the FIPOI has financed CHF 8,691,000 worth of projects to cover extraordinary 
maintenance and renovation works, such as the replacement of the roof, replacement of  lighting 
with low consumption LED lights, replacement of the technical Building Management System, 
replacement of a freight elevator, improving the thermal insulation of the building, renovating and 
upgrading the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems, and other fireproofing works.  
9.3.  Table 2 summarizes works and projects that are projected to be funded by the FIPOI from 
2023 to 2027.  
Table 2 Short Term Projects – 2023 to 2027 to be Funded by the FIPOI  
PROJECTS  CHF 
HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning) System renovation/replacement  2,000,000  
Replacement of roof – phase 2  703,000  
Renovation of the green roof above rooms S  371,000  
Feasibility study for energy efficiency improvements in the CWR  250,000  
Replacement of lighting in the atrium  245,000  
Renovation of the glass facade of the lobby of rooms D&E  171,000  
Replacement of the bay windows on the ground floor  24,000  
Renovation of the handrails of the main staircase  15,000  
FIPOI - Management fee  557,000  
TOTAL TO BE FUNDED BY FIPOI  4,336,000 
 
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 10  THE BUILDING RENOVATION FUND  
10.1.  The Building Renovation Fund3 (BRF) was established in 2015 and complies with the revised 
2013 Infrastructure Contract4, agreed by the WTO and the Swiss Authorities.  
10.2.  The BRF shall cover the foreseeable costs of medium - and long -term building and 
infrastructure projects and extraordin ary maintenance, repair, improvement , and enhancement of 
the building and infrastructure.  
10.3.  According to the FIPOI model applied to the calculation of necessary funds for the BRF, the 
average annual allocation needed for long -term renovation projects is appr oximately 
CHF 2,572,000. It is to be noted that this amount is based on the FIPOI model and the "Bureau 
d'Estimation de Bâtiments" (BEB) Geneva index on construction costs.  
10.4.  The balance of the Building Renovation Fund as at 31  December  2022 was CHF  25.1 mil lion. 
10.5.  Requests to fund projects from the Building Renovation Fund will be presented for approval 
by the CBFA, as necessary.  
11  LONG -TERM  
11.1.  Since a full renovation and/or construction of the WTO buildings, including the conference 
rooms, took place between 2008 and 2012, it is difficult to forecast with precision which major works 
will be necessary over the longer term. It is realistic to envisage another full renovation of the CWR 
within the next 30 years, though this will depend on the level of maintenance that  carried out over 
the short- and medium -term. In addition, at some point, many of the technical installations, piping, 
power generators, etc. will exceed their life expectancy and may need to be replaced. Based on 
industry best practices, as well as depreciation cycles and equipment lifespan, below are examples 
of major projects that will need to be planned for implementation between 2033 and 2052 : 
• Renovation of the CWR: This will include replacement of windows, and doors, ceilings, 
electric cables an d distribution boards, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning 
infrastructure, pipes, and radiators, as well as the power generator and elevators.  
 
• Renovation of the EM and the Welcome Pavilion: This will  include the roof, electric 
cables, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) equipment, the data centre, as 
well as the kitchen and restaurant fixed equipment.  
 
• Replacement of all the Fire Safety and security systems at the WTO: This will  
include fire detection and extinction systems, fir e rated doors, video surveillance and 
access control systems, turnstiles , and bollards.  
 
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3 WT/BFA/W/369/Rev.2 dated 27 October 2015 - Building Renovation Fund.  
4 WT/BFA/W/298 - Draft Amendments to the Infrastructure Contract.