The Atomium is a building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak,[1] it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. It is a museum. [1]
Tubes connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and all eight vertices to the centre. They enclose escalators and a lift to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels. CNN named it Europe's most bizarre building.
Renovation of the Atomium began in March 2004; it was closed to the public in October, and remained closed until 18 February 2006. The renovations included replacing the faded aluminium sheets on the sphere with stainless steel. To help pay for renovations, the old aluminium was sold to the public as souvenirs. A triangular piece about 2 m long sold for €1,000.[3]
A model of the Atomium at Minimundus showing the support columns containing external stairs.
File:Minimundus117.jpg
A model of the Atomium at Minimundus showing the support columns containing external stairs.
This is a piece of the old Atomium, in the Delft University of Technology. It will be used for scientific research.
A souvenir kerchief from the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958. Atomium in the middle surrounded by some of the participating countries' pavilions.
Atomium Mechanical stairs
Three of the four top spheres lack vertical support and hence are not open to the public for safety reasons, although the sphere at the pinnacle is open to the public. The original design called for no supports; the structure was simply to rest on the spheres. Wind tunnel tests proved that the structure would have toppled in an 80 km/h wind (140 km/h winds have been recorded in Belgium). Support columns were added to achieve enough resistance against overturning.
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The Atomium is a building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak,[1] it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. It is a museum. [1]
Tubes connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and all eight vertices to the centre. They enclose escalators and a lift to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels. CNN named it Europe's most bizarre building.
Renovation of the Atomium began in March 2004; it was closed to the public in October, and remained closed until 18 February 2006. The renovations included replacing the faded aluminium sheets on the sphere with stainless steel. To help pay for renovations, the old aluminium was sold to the public as souvenirs. A triangular piece about 2 m long sold for €1,000.[3]
A model of the Atomium at Minimundus showing the support columns containing external stairs.
File:Minimundus117.jpg
A model of the Atomium at Minimundus showing the support columns containing external stairs.
This is a piece of the old Atomium, in the Delft University of Technology. It will be used for scientific research.
A souvenir kerchief from the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958. Atomium in the middle surrounded by some of the participating countries' pavilions.
Atomium Mechanical stairs
Three of the four top spheres lack vertical support and hence are not open to the public for safety reasons, although the sphere at the pinnacle is open to the public. The original design called for no supports; the structure was simply to rest on the spheres. Wind tunnel tests proved that the structure would have toppled in an 80 km/h wind (140 km/h winds have been recorded in Belgium). Support columns were added to achieve enough resistance against overturning.
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_International_Exposition_(1935)#/media/File:EXPO_Bruxelles_1935-B.jpg
The fair attracted some twenty million visitors. Belgian architect Joseph Van Neck was the principal architect of the fair and of the Art Deco Palais des Expositions (also known as the Grand Palais), with its interior concrete parabolic arches, and four heroic bronze statues on piers.
Among many other contributors, Le Corbusier designed part of the French exhibit; the Belgian modernist architect, Victor Bourgeois, designed the Grand Palace, the Leopold II Restaurant and the Soprocol Pavilion. The Belgian art exposition prominently displayed the work of contemporary Belgian artists, including Paul Delvaux and René Magritte, boosting their careers.
The Palais des Expositions, and at least three other of the 1935 structures, were re-used for Expo '58 which was held at the same site in 1958.
Overview
BIE-classUniversal exposition
CategoryFirst category General Exposition
NameExposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles
BuildingPalais des Expositions
Area150 hectares (370 acres)
Visitors20,000,000
Organized byJoseph van Neck
Participant(s)
Countries24
Location
CountryBelgium
CityBrussels
VenueHeysel Park
Coordinates50°53′50″N 04°20′21″E
Timeline
OpeningApril 27, 1935
ClosureNovember 25, 1935
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© All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved