Atomium

History

Inception and construction

The Atomium was built as the main pavilion and symbol of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58). Its nine 18-metre (59 ft) spheres depict nine iron atoms in a body-centred cubic (BCC) unit cell, which could, for example, represent an α-iron (ferrite) crystal, magnified 165 billion times. In the 1950s, faith in scientific progress was strong, and the subject was chosen to embody the enthusiasm of the Atomic Age. Designed to highlight humanity's advances—particularly in nuclear physics—it reflected Belgium's active role in the field ever since uranium from the Belgian Congo became the dominant material for nuclear fission, including the fuel used in the world's first nuclear weapons. With the Atomium, the country thus sought to promote the post-war ideal of peacefully applying atomic research and technology to improve lives and benefit mankind.

The construction of the Atomium was a technical feat. In January 1955, a first project was presented by the engineer André Waterkeyn, director of the economic department at Fabrimétal, the Federation of Companies in the Metal Fabricating Industry (now known as Agoria). The architects André and Jean Polak were responsible for the concept's architectural transposition, drawing up numerous sketches in the process. The company received assistance from the consulting engineers Artémy S. Joukoff and André Beckers, who were supported by the V. Daniel design office. Construction of the foundations began in March 1956 and the building, erected by the Jambes-Namur Construction Workshops, was completed less than a month before the inauguration of Expo 58, on 17 April 1958.

Expo 58 and posterity

Since opening, only six of the nine spheres have been accessible to the public: the three on the central axis and the three on the lower outer edges. Each sphere has two main floors and an additional lower floor reserved for service. Tubes with a diameter of 3 metres (10 ft) connect the spheres along the cube's twelve edges and all eight vertices to the centre. The central tube contains Europe's fastest lift at the time of construction, with a speed of 5 m/s (20 ft/s), installed by the Belgian branch of the Swiss firm Schlieren (subsequently taken over by Schindler). It allows 22 people to reach the summit in just 23 seconds. The escalators installed in the oblique tubes are also among the longest in Europe, with the longest measuring 35 metres (100 ft).

The three upper outer spheres lack vertical support and are therefore not open to the public for safety reasons (to minimise foot traffic in the spheres). The original design called for no leg supports on the three lower outer spheres; the structure was simply to rest on the singular mid-bottom sphere. However, wind-tunnel tests proved that such a structure would have toppled in an 80 km/h (50 mph) wind, whilst winds of up to 140 km/h (90 mph) have been recorded in Belgium. Support columns were thus added under the three spheres in question to provide sufficient resistance against overturning.

The Atomium, designed to last six months, was not intended to survive the 1958 World's Fair, but its popularity and success made it a major element of Brussels' landscape. Its destruction was therefore postponed year after year, until the city's authorities decided to keep it. However, for thirty years, little maintenance work was done. Still, the building continued to serve as the backdrop for major events and competitions. In 1960, the 47th Tour de France passed in front of it during its inaugural stages. From 1960 to 1962, the Brussels Motor Grand Prix automobile race was also organised nearby.

Renovation (2004–2006)

By the turn of the millennium, the state of the building had deteriorated and a comprehensive renovation was sorely needed. Renovation work, carried out by Belgian construction companies Jacques Delens and BESIX, began in March 2004. The Atomium was closed to the public in October of that year, and remained closed until 18 February 2006. Although the Atomium depicts an iron unit cell, the spheres were originally clad in aluminium. The renovation included replacing these faded aluminium sheets with stainless steel, which is primarily iron, and building a new reception pavilion with a boomerang-shaped roof. At the foot of the building, the roundabout was redeveloped into a concrete esplanade lined with continuous benches and a large step leading to the north-east.

On 21 December 2005, the Atomium's new outdoor lighting was tested. The meridians of each sphere were covered with rectangular steel plates, in which LED lighting was integrated. The LED application illuminates the bulbs at night. The lights can also flash simultaneously or in turns along each meridian, symbolising the range of an electron around its core. In addition, the German industrial designer Ingo Maurer created lighting objects and installations for the building's interior.

On 14 February 2006, the Atomium was officially reopened by then-Prince Philippe, and on 18 February 2006, it opened again to the public. The renovation cost €26 million. Brussels and the Atomium Association covered one-third of the costs, whilst the Belgian government financed the remaining two-thirds. To help finance the renovation, pieces of the old aluminium plates were sold to the public as souvenirs. A triangular piece measuring approximately 2 metres (7 ft) in length sold for €1,000. In March 2006, a €2 commemorative coin depicting the building was issued to celebrate the renovation and reopening.

Usage

The Atomium, with over 600,000 visitors per year, is the most popular tourist attraction in Brussels, and acts as an international symbol of both the city and country. In addition to its heritage value, it is also a cultural venue and an arts centre. Over half of the building is dedicated to exhibitions with themes about Belgium and digital arts.

Of the six spheres accessible to the public: the bottom sphere is reserved for permanent exhibitions dedicated to the 1950s, Expo 58 and the building's construction; the second sphere hosts temporary exhibitions; the third and central spheres contain flexible spaces that can be rented for events, such as film screenings, concerts, parties and conferences; the top sphere, in addition to the panorama, holds a restaurant; and the sixth sphere is the kids' sphere, intended for the organisation of workshops in urban pedagogy, allowing children aged six to twelve to spend the night there.

Worldwide copyright claims

SABAM, Belgium's society for collecting copyrights, had previously claimed worldwide intellectual property rights on all reproductions of the Atomium's image via the United States Artists Rights Society (ARS). For example, in 2003, SABAM issued a demand that a United States website remove all images of the Atomium from its pages. The website owner responded by replacing all such images with a warning not to take photographs of the Atomium, stating that A.S.B.L. Atomium would sue any individual or group who showed the photographs to anyone. SABAM confirmed then that permission was required.

In 2008, Anno Expo, who organised 50th anniversary celebrations of Expo 58 in Mechelen, announced a "cultural guerrilla strike" by asking people to send in their old photographs of the Atomium and 100 photoshoppers to paint over the spheres. SABAM responded that they would make an exception for 2008, allowing people to publish private photographs for one year, provided they were for non-commercial purposes. Anno Expo later announced they had censored part of their own report due to "complications" and referred to a meeting they had with SABAM. Mechelen's mayor, Bart Somers, called the Atomium copyright rules absurd.

In the summer of 2015, the Belgian political party Open Vld, which was part of the then-ruling Michel I Government, proposed a bill to enable freedom of panorama in Belgium. The bill was enacted into law in June 2016, allowing pictures of the Atomium, and other public buildings under copyright, to be legally distributed.