RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/587  
 
14 April  2022 
(22-3061) Page: 1/12 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
 
STRATEGIC FACILITIES PLAN  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  The WTO's Strategic Facilities Plan (SFP) encompasses the complete built -environment , fixtures 
and fittings and  capital equipment. It consists of understanding, analyzing , planning and acting to 
ensure an optimal delivery of services to our stakeholders. A sound SFP ensures  the optimization of 
facilities to guarantee  a functional, safe and comfortable workplace for  the employees and delegates 
of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and to provide high quality support based on a client -
oriented approach, in an environmentally friendly  and cost -effective way.  
1.2.  The SFP documents the strategy to implement and finance main tenance programmes and 
renovation s for buildings located  on the WTO premises, over time. It  is a guide for the various 
building maintenance  requirements , conference room renovations and safety and security needs . 
1.3.  The aim of this paper is to establish a n ongoing  short and medium -term strategy to ensure 
that plans are detailed for the maintenance, renovation, management of technical installations and 
replacement of various aspects of the WTO facilities.  It follows on from previous versions that  were 
submitted to the CBFA since 2018 . 
1.4.  The WTO premises  contain seven  buildings and the Chinese Gusu Garden . The buildings are : 
the Centre William Rappard (CWR), the Extramuros (EM), including the underground carpark with 
200 parking spaces, the Welcome P avilion (BCI), the Salle William Rappard (SWR), the Villa Rappard 
(VR) 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. The SWR 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.  
1.5.  There are eight big conference rooms with capacities ranging from 37 to 708 seats. These 
rooms are equipped for virtual meetings. In addition, there are 11 small meetings rooms with an 
average capacity of 16. Nine of these rooms are equipped with video -conferencing facilities for small 
scale meetings.  
Table 1 Financial Summary for the Facilities Management Sectio n (as at 
31 December  2021)  
Account Description  Budget  Actual  Balance  
Building Loan Reimbursement  1,200,000  1,200,000  0 
Building Maintenance  1,200,000  1,344,321  -144,321  
Contractual Services  946,000  873,421  72,579  
Electricity  570,000  250,926  319,074  
Equipment Maintenance  7,000  1,697  5,303  
Gas & Fuel  450,000  317,203  132,797  
Insurance  175,000  112,099  62,901  
Office Furniture and Equipment  75,000  100,494  -25,494  
Rental and Leasing of Equipment  27,600  32,489  -4,889  
Rental of Premises  15,000  3,887  11,113  
Water  54,000  22,362  31,638  
Total  4,719,600  4,258,899  460,701  WT/BFA/W/587  
 
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  Table 2 Financial Summary for the Security and Safety Services (as at 31 December  2021)  
Account 
Description  Budget  Actual  Balance  
Building Maintenance  225,000 90,372 134,628 
Guarding  Services  3,603,000 2,848,248 754,752 
Equipment 
Maintenance  250,000 182,034 67,966 
Security Equipment  180,000 0 180,000 
Total  4,258,000 3,315,40 4 1,137,346 
Table 3 Financial Summary for the Conferences and Visitors Services (as at 
31 December  2021)  
Account Description  Budget  Actual  Balance  
Audio Visual & Telecommunication Equipment  220,000 434,040 -214,040 
Computing Software  500,000 355,458 144,542 
Equipment Maintenance  52,275 17,200 35,075 
Total  772,275 806,698  -34,423  
 
2  PROJECTED ADDITIONAL  SPACE NEEDS  
2.1.  The WTO buildings currently house approximately 850 people , comprising of staff members, 
consultants and interns . 
2.2.  After receiving the appropriate authorization from the relevant authorities  of the Canton of 
Geneva , a feasibility study was carried out, in 2019,  for the possible renovation of the Villa Rappard . 
The report detailed  the magn itude of work s to be undertaken  (electrical, plumbing, roof, fi re safety 
equipment and infrastructure, etc).  
3  CAPITAL EQUIPMENT  
3.1.  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 (price according to model) in the 
medium to long term.  
3.2.  There are 298 restrooms, some with showers, in the WTO buildings, with 250 located in the 
CWR building and 48 in the EM building. The restrooms  in the CWR were renovated in 2011 and 
2012 and those in the EM were part of the new building which was first occupied in 2012 . It costs 
an average of CHF  9,000 to completely renovate a restroom, and it is reasonable to estimate that 
an expense of  CHF 2,680,000 must be incurred to renovate all bathrooms . The renovation will be in 
phases, commencing in 2024 and ending in 2028.  
3.3.  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 renovated in 2011 and 2012. The kitchen and kitchenett es in the 
EM were part of the new building which was first occupied in 2012. The replacement of the 
kitchenettes is planned for 2023 to 2025 and the replacement of the equipment in the kitchen is 
foreseen for 2026 and 2027 . In 2020, the tile flooring of th e kitchen was covered with an anti -
slippery resin coating.  
3.4.  The aging condition of the roof of the CWR building require d heavy maintenance and rep air 
works.  Together w ith the FIPOI , the WTO developed and completed a project to fix the roof and to 
preserve it for the next 15 years. This project was fully financed by the FIPOI and amount ed to 
CHF 1,056 ,000 over a period of three years (2020 -2022). WT/BFA/W/587  
 
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  4  CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND MEASURES TO CONTAIN COSTS  
Energy  
4.1.  Reductions in  energy consumption in the WTO relate not only to heating and cooling but also 
electricity and water.  
4.2.  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 of these installations, the control and supervision of these intricate  
and sensitive machines has been  entrusted to an external  service  provider . 
4.3.  The EM building , which is very efficient in t erms of insulation and ventilation , is heated by 
water -to-water heat pumps using lake water as part of the Geneva Lac Nations  (GLN) project of the 
Geneva Industrial Services. The GLN also generates cold water that is used to refresh the air in the 
EM, the SWR and several technical rooms in both buildings.  Additional server rooms and control 
booths for conference rooms in the CWR building were connected to the GLN network between 2019 
and 2021, with the aim of having a more ecological solution using renewable energy and moving 
away from traditional air conditioning and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) gases , which have  high global 
warming potential if leaked . 
4.4.  The SWR and the Welcome Pavilion are heated by boiler s in the CWR.  
4.5.  The Villa Rappard  and the Villas des Chênes 1 & 2  are all heated by somewhat obsolete fuel 
boilers. Since t hese buildings  do not belong to the WTO, there is little margin of manoeuvring  to 
optimize energy consumption in these buildings  as thi s would require capital expenditure  and 
approvals from the Republic and Canton of Geneva . 
4.6.  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 production ; and  high 
airtightness of the building envelope.  
4.7.  The maintenance of windows and re -insulati on have made it possible to reduce heat loss. 
Optimization of the facilities (data centre , boiler room, etc.), as well as fine-tuning  of parameters, 
data and instructions are part of the ongoing measures taken to limit energy expenditure, linked to 
continuous mai ntenance and regular monitoring of networks and facilities. In addition, regulatory 
work carried out by technicians has made it possible to maximize the efficiency of the heating 
systems and achieve significant savings.  
4.8.  For the EM, the goal is to maintain the Minergie -P label despite the potential increase in 
workstations  or activities in this building. A new project to introduce "free co oling," which consists 
of automatically opening windows to renew and refresh the air depending on the outside temperature  
and the required inside temperature , is being developed.  
4.9.  For the CWR, a project to improve the insulation of the façades , which consist s of injecting 
insulating foam  in the inner layer of the facade  to limit the thermal bridges , is being studied . In 
parallel, a project to replace the windows joints, as well as replacing the old windows and window 
frames , will be explored . 
4.10.  Since the renovation of the CWR and the construction of the EM, as well as the commissioning 
phase that follo wed these projects, continuous efforts to reduce energy consumption have been 
made , leading to considerable savings.  
Conference Rooms  
4.11.  A project to replace and/or upgrade conference room equipment was launched in 
December  2018. A contract for maintenance of the equipment , both preventative and curative , was 
also put in place. T o the extent possible, t he maintenance contract assures proper functionality, 
good condition and prolonged life of equipment beyond original state . This project is ongoin g on a 
gradual basis depending on the budget allocated per annum . 
4.12.  The upgrades undertaken thus far relate to equipping all the big meeting rooms with up-to-
date audio and visual equipment including software to allow for in -person, hybrid and virtual WT/BFA/W/587  
 
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  meetings. The T1 and T2 training rooms used by ITTC for technical assistance related activities are 
also equipped with audio visual equipment adapted for training pur poses.  
Ecology  
4.13.  For several years , the WTO has put measures in place to reduce its carbon footprint. These 
include E -bikes; b io-degradable cups; recycling polyethylene terephthalate  (PET) , aluminium , glass, 
batteries, printer ink cartridges, paper and cardboard and polystyrene; and provision of reusable 
cutlery and plates in the cafeteria.  
4.14.  Figure 1 below show s the evolution of the energ y consumption in the WTO buildings . 
Figure 1 Evolution of the energ y consumptions since 2017  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
WT/BFA/W/587  
 
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  5  UPCOMING PROJECTS – TIME PHASED  
5.1.  For ease of reference in the next section, please see the below map of the Sectors  in the CWR , 
which are refer enced in the following tables.  
 
 
  WT/BFA/W/587  
 
- 6 - Table 4 Short Term Projects  – 2021 to 2025 – (Amounts shown in CHF ) 
PROJECTS BY SOURCE OF FUNDING  2021  2022  2023  2024  2025  Total  
WTO REGULAR BUDGET        
Replacement of existing lighting with LED spotlight rails in the EM corridors  201,000  - - - - 201,000  
Electrical works for WiFi antennae and new conference room equipment  130,000  - - - - 130,000  
Automating EM Windows  - 250,000  - - - 250,000  
Upgrade and replacement of the EM restaurant equipment  - 70,000  - - - 70,000  
Feasibility study for Rooms S1, S2 and S3  - 50,000  - - - 50,000  
New fire safety equipment (extinguishers, fire detection, batteries for f ire doors, 
sound alarm)  55,204  57,000  68,000  100,000  100,000  380,204  
Access control for sensitive areas  22,180  50,000  - - - 72,180  
Additional equipment on physical security (video surveillance, electronic access 
control, intercom)  19,893  1,500,000  140,000  100,000  100,000  1,859,893  
New security equipment (bollards, harrows, turnstiles and lifts)  7,281  100,000  100,000  100,000  100,000  407,281  
Upgrade of audio -visual (AV) equipment for conference rooms and replacement 
of audio discussion system  40,624  1,000,000  1,500,000    1,500,000    2,000,000  6,040,624  
Support and maintenance of AV equipment in conference rooms per annum  17,200  45,200  - - - 62,400  
Supply of consumables for AV equipment under Lemanvisio contract per annum  2,500  2,500  - - - 5,000  
Standardisation of all communal meeting rooms in terms of AV and 
Videoconferencing (VC) equipment  15,330  20,000  - - - 35,330  
Replacement of Electronic Bulletin Board Screens  8,568  30,000  -  - - 38,568  
Maintenance of the Webcasting and Video on Demand system  27,320  14,100  - - - 41,420  
Installation of hardware to run virtual meetings in all conference rooms  16,000  - - - - 16,000  
Paint jobs  56,000  100,000  100,000  100,000  - 356,000  
Furniture replacement  71,000  150,000  150,000  150,000  150,000  671,000  
Supply of exhibition stands  16,000  - - - - 16,000  
Awnings for the restaurant terrace  19,000  - - - - 19,000  
Carpentry works to integrate the new podium screens in rooms D, E & W  16,000  - - - - 16,000  
TOTAL TO BE FUNDED THROUGH THE REGULAR BUDGET  741,100  3,438,800  2,058,000  2,050,000  2,450,000  10,737,900   
  WT/BFA/W/587  
 
- 7 - PROJECTS BY SOURCE OF FUNDING  2021  2022  2023  2024  2025  Total  
BUILDING RENOVATION FUND              
Upgrade and replacement of the EM restaurant equipment  - - 250,000  250,000  250,000  750,000  
Renovation of kitchenettes  - - 300,000  300,000  300,000  900,000  
Renovation or replacement restrooms/showers   - - -  536,000  536,000  1,072,000  
TOTAL TO BE FUNDED FROM THE BUILDING RE NOVATION FUND                 -                 -    550,000    1,086,000    1,086,000    2,722,000  
FIPOI              
Replacement of roof  426,000  151,000  - - - 577,000  
Lighting works in the main entrance  79,000  - - - - 79,000  
Replacement of lighting in meeting rooms W, D, E & S  - 62,000  220,000  220,000  - 502,000  
Study & replacement of lighting in the atrium  - 50,000  - 195,000  - 245,000  
Fireproof insulation for the CWR Building  - 100,000  - - - 100,000  
Modification of Building Management System  142,000  66,000  - - - 208,000  
Replacement of the cooling unit of the telecommunications room  52,000  5,000  - - - 57,000  
Renovation of the HVAC for meeting rooms A, B & C  - 85,000  150,000  - - 235,000  
Repairs and insulation of blind cassettes  - 50,000  50,000  - - 100,000  
HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning) System renovation/ replacement  - - - - 1,000,000  1,000,000  
HVAC work in the fitness room  - 15,000  100,000  - - 115,000  
Replacement of the bay windows on the ground floor  - 50,000  - - - 50,000  
Raise the freight elevator by a floor to reach the 5th floor on sector 6  274,000  - - - - 274,000  
Updating building drawings & plans  12,000  - - - - 12,000  
Renovation of the green roof  - 300,000  300,000  - - 600,000  
Renovation of windows (lobby rooms D & E)  - 69,000  100,000  - - 169,000  
Renovation of lightning rods  - - 50,000  - - 50,000  
Various small projects  42,000  4,000  - - - 46,000  
FIPOI - Management fee  133,000  131,000  126,000  54,000  130,000  574,000  
TOTAL TO BE FUNDED BY FIPOI  1,160,000  1,138,000  1,096,000  469,000  1,130,000  4,993,000  
GRAND TOTAL  1,901,100  4,576,800  3,704,000  3,605,000  4,666,000  18,452,900  WT/BFA/W/587  
 
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  5.1  Security perimeter and equipment  
5.2.  The guarding services of the premises are outsourced to an external security contractor . The 
WTO Secretariat continues to diligently manage this contract to monitor  quality services and costs.  
5.3.  The project to update the video surveillance, intercom, radio, anti -intrusion and the security 
access control system was enhanced  by updating the software of the new security infrastructure. A 
preventive and corrective maintenance  plan is in place for upgr ading, replacing and maintaining the 
equipment used in this project.  
5.4.  Preventive and the corrective maintenance  are in place for t he security perimeter , access 
control and safety equipment have been put in place within  the perimeter to ensure a high level o f 
physical security of the WTO site. Th ese include  intercoms, mobile bollards, automatic barriers, and 
harrows.  
 
Conference rooms audio and visual equipment  
5.5.  This section covers the costs of maintaining meeting rooms under the responsibility of the 
WTO.  
5.6.  A maintenance (preventative and corrective) contract is in place with an audio -visual company 
for upgrading, replacing and maintaining the audio -visual equipment in the conference rooms.  
5.7.  In response to the COVID -19 restrictions and to allow Members to continue their work, all the 
conference rooms can now host meetings with remote participation.  
Building i nfrastructure projects  
5.8.  Medium and long -term building and infrastructure projects are anticipated every 10, 15, 25, 
and 50 years based on the depreciation or expected duration of building s, infrastructure, furniture 
and fittings , as follows:  
• 10 years: technical installations, interior carpentry works and furnishings, operating 
equipment and  furniture . 
• 15 years: sanitary ware and plumbing, heating, cooling and ventilation systems  and 
elevators . 
• 25 years: CWR building façade, roof, windows, electricity  and exterior woodwork . 
• 50 years: building structure.  
  
  WT/BFA/W/587  
 
- 9 - Table 5 Medium Term Projects  – 2026 to 2030 – (Amounts shown in CHF)  
PROJECTS  2026  2027  2028  2029  2030  Total  
WTO REGULAR BUDGET        
Replacement of f urniture  150,000 - - - - 150,000 
Upgrades to p hysical security system  100,000 - - - - 100,000 
Fire safety equipment (extinguishers, fire engines, fire detection, nozzles, 
smoke extraction  and fire doors)  100,000 - - - - 100,000 
Security and safety equipment (bollards, security perimeter, harrows, 
turnstiles  and lifts)  100,000  - - - - 100,000  
Electronic Bulletin Board   30,000  - - - 30,000  
TOTAL TO BE FUNDED THROUGH THE REGULAR BUDGET  450,000  30,000  - - - 480,000  
 
BUILDING RENOVATION FUND        
Kitchen a ppliances and other installations (ovens, freezer rooms, other 
kitchen appliances/installations)  250,000  250,000  - - - 500,000  
Renovation or replacement of r estrooms/showers  536,000  536,000  536,000  - - 1,608,000  
TOTAL TO BE FUNDED FROM THE BUILDING REOVATION FUND  786,000  786,000  536,000  - - 2,108,000  
FIPOI        
HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) System Renovation/ 
Replacement  
During the renovation of the CWR, the heating installation was only partially 
renovated: there are hundreds of linear meters of pipes, shut -off valves or other parts 
that will have to be changed. Some heating or ventilation systems will have to be 
completely replaced (some ducts or installations are currently more than 10 or 
15 years old). This work will require the review and assessment of the entire electrical 
connections, alarms and certain modifications of ducts or pipes and pipes will have to 
be carried out.  1,000,000  1,000,000  1,000,000  1,000,000  1,000,000  5,000,000  
TOTAL TO BE FUNDED BY FIPOI  1,000,000  1,000,000  1,000,000  1,000,000  1,000,000  5,000 ,000 
GRAND TOTAL  2,236,000  1,816,000  1,536,000  1,000,000  1,000,000  7,588,000  
 WT/BFA/W/587  
 
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  6  LONG TERM  
6.1.  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 wh ich 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 has been carried 
out over the preceding years. In addition, man y of the technical installations, piping, power 
generators, etc. will have exceeded their life expectancy and may need to be replaced to ensure a 
functional, safe and comfortable workplace for all those working at the WTO. Below is a table 
indicating the p ossible works to be undertaken. Most of the works envisaged below will be financed 
by the Building Renovation Fund.  
Table 6 Long Term Projects  - 2031 to 2051  
PROJECTS  
Renovation of the CWR  
(windows, doors including handles, painting, floors, ceilings, electric cables, heating/cooling/ventilation 
machines + pipes, power generator, inverter).  
Renovation of the EM  
(doors, floors, roof, painting, electric cables, heating/cooling/ventilation machines + pipes, data centre, 
power g enerator, inverter, kitchen and restaurant fixed equipment) . 
Renovation of the Welcome Pavilion (BCI)  
(windows, doors including handles, painting, floors, ceilings, electric cables, heating/cooling/ventilation 
machines + pipes).  
Cleaning of facades  
The CWR facades were sandblasted during the renovation works of 2008. This cleaning will have to be 
undertaken again in the next 10 -30 years.  
Cleaning and inspection of the roofs (CWR and EM)  
It will be necessary to ensure that there is no new lea kage or other problem in the roof that needs to be 
addressed in the long -term.  
Replacement of furniture in the conference rooms  
Replacement of all the Fire Safety system and equipment  
(including extinguishers, fire engines, fire detection  systems , nozzles, smoke extraction  equipment , fire 
doors).  
Replacement of all the security and safety equipment  
(including bollards, security perimeter, harrows, turnstiles, lifts , cameras, servers, electronic access control, 
intercom ). 
7  FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS  
7.1  Building Maintenance  
7.1.  Financing sources for the ordinary and extraordinary maintenance of WTO buildings and 
infrastructure, including existing facilities , are as follows: (1) regular budget, (2) Building Renovation 
Fund, and (3) fundi ng from the Swiss Confederation.  
7.2  Regular Budget  
7.2.  The 2022 regular budget earmarked under Building Maintenance is CHF  1,433,000.  
7.3  Building Renovation Fund  
7.3.  The Building Renovation Fund1 (BRF) was established  in 2015 and complies with the revised 
2013 Infrastructure Contract2 , agreed by the WTO and the Swiss Authorities.  
 
1 WT/BFA/W/369/Rev.2 dated 27 October 2015 - Building Renovation Fund.  
2 WT/BFA/W/298 - Draft Amendments to the Infrastructure Contract.  WT/BFA/W/587  
 
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  7.4.  The BRF shall cover the foreseeable costs of medium - and long -term building and infrastructure 
projects and extraordinary maintenance, repair, improvem ent and enhancement of the building and 
infrastructure.  
7.5.  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 approximately 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 " or "BEB" Geneva index on construction costs.  
7.6.  The balance of the Building Renovation Fund as at 31 December 202 1 was CHF 2 4.5 million.  
7.4  Swiss Confederation  
7.7.  A Contract exists between the Swiss Confederation (represented by " Département fédéral des 
affaires étrangères " or "DFAE") and the FIPOI on an annual amount of  CHF 1.1 million to be provided  
by the Swiss  Confederation, including a stipulation that this fundi ng be used exclusively for 
extraordinary maintenance works.  
7.8.  The WTO Secretariat  submits maintenance works to be undertaken at the CWR to the FIPOI 
for review and validation. Following the FIPOI's validation of the maintenance works to be 
undertaken,  the FIPOI select s the companies  using its procurement policies , and the WTO technical 
services team oversee s the works. The FIPOI make s payments directly to the selected companies 
for the work done.  
7.9.  The WTO was informed by the FIPOI that starting  2021, a management fee  of up to 13% will 
be deducted from the allocated budget.  
7.10.  Table 7, below, shows the FIPOI allocated budget distribution  for 20 21. 
Table 7 Presentation of the budget distribution  and CWR maintenance works finan ced by 
the Swiss Confederation through the FIPOI in 2021 
PROJECTS  2021 
Replacement of roof  426,000 
Lighting works in the main entrance  79,000 
Modification of  the Building Management System (BMS)  142,000 
Replacement of the cooling unit of the telecom room  52,000 
Increase of floor for freight elevator sector 6 from the 4th to the 5th floor  274,000 
Updating  of building drawings & plans  12,000 
Various  small  projects  42,000 
FIPOI – Management fee  133,000  
TOTAL EXPENDITURE  1,160 ,000 
 
  WT/BFA/W/587  
 
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  ANNEX 1  
 
 
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