Atomium
| The Atomium | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Open |
| Location | Brussels, Belgium |
| Coordinates | 50°53′41″N 4°20′28″E / 50.89472°N 4.34111°ECoordinates: 50°53′41″N 4°20′28″E / 50.89472°N 4.34111°E |
| Completed | 1958 |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 102 m (335 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Engineer | André Waterkeyn |
The Atomium ( /əˈtoʊmiːəm/ ə-TOH-mee-əm) 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, it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (60 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 now a museum.
Tubes of 3 m (10 ft) diameter connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and all eight vertices to the centre. They enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere includes a restaurant which has a panoramic view of Brussels. CNN named it Europe's most bizarre building.
In the 1950s, faith in scientific progress was great, and a structure depicting atoms was chosen to embody this. Though many believe the Atomium depicts an atom, in fact it depicts 9 of them. The Atomium is in the shape of the body-centred cubic unit cell of an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times. In layman's terms, the Atomium depicts the precise layout of the iron atoms of an iron crystal.
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