Located near the General Assembly and with a view of the East River, the lounge has been used since 1952 by policymakers and diplomats from the UN's member states. OMA is working with an interdisciplinary team including designer Hella Jongerius, graphic designer Irma Boom, artist Gabriel Lester and theorist Louise Schouwenberg.

The team's aim is to preserve the history of the space and activate the lounge as an informal and intimate debating chamber. OMA's contribution includes removing the lounge's mezzanine (an addition made in 1978) in order to open up the view over the East River. OMA's design will also address the entrance and the bar, and introduce e-paper screens throughout the space.

Rem Koolhaas commented: "We characterize our intervention in the lounge, which has already been modified several times, as a 'preservation of change.'"

The renovation also includes handmade bead curtains, new carpets, a mixture of old and new furniture including original Knoll club chairs and Eames lounge chairs, and a new installation of the artworks given by member states over the years.

The UN headquarters was originally designed by a team that included Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer and Wallace K. Harrison, who called the complex "a workshop for peace." The result is a Gesamtkunstwerk born from collaboration and open debate. The interdisciplinary approach to the North Delegates Lounge seeks to continue this tradition.

The redesigned lounge is an initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and will be completed in 2012.