Atomium - Wikipedia Atomium The Atomium Wikimedia © OpenStreetMap General information Status Open Architectural style Modernism Town or city Brussels Country Belgium Coordinates 50 ° 53 ′ 41 '' N 4 ° 20 ′ 28 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.89472 ° N 4.34111 ° E ﻿ / 50.89472 ; 4.34111 Coordinates : 50 ° 53 ′ 41 '' N 4 ° 20 ′ 28 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.89472 ° N 4.34111 ° E ﻿ / 50.89472 ; 4.34111 Completed 1958 Height Antenna spire 102 m ( 335 ft ) Design and construction Architect André and Jean Polak Engineer André Waterkeyn Website http://www.atomium.be/ The Atomium ( / əˈtoʊmiːəm / ə - TOH - mee - əm ) is a landmark building in Brussels, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World 's Fair ( Expo 58 ). It is located on the Heysel Plateau, where the exhibition took place. It is now a museum. 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. 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. In 2013, CNN named it Europe 's most bizarre building. Contents 1 Subject 2 Construction 3 Renovation 4 Gallery 5 Worldwide copyright claims 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Subject An equivalent depiction of the body - centred cubic unit cell of an iron crystal. If this unit is repeated millions of times in every direction, the structure of the entire iron crystal is shown. In the 1950s, faith in scientific progress was great, and a structure depicting atoms was chosen to embody this. The Atomium depicts nine iron atoms in the shape of the body - centred cubic unit cell of an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times. Though the Atomium depicts an iron unit cell, the balls were originally clad with aluminium. Following the 2004 -- 2007 renovations, however, the aluminium was replaced with stainless steel, which is primarily iron. Likewise, while the subject of Atomium was chosen to depict the enthusiasm of the Atomic Age, iron is not and can not be used as fuel in nuclear reactions. Construction The Atomium was built as the main pavilion and icon of the 1958 World Fair of Brussels. The construction of the Atomium was a technical feat. Of the nine spheres, six are accessible to the public, each with two main floors and a lower floor reserved for service. The central tube contains the fastest elevator of the time ( 5 m / 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 23 seconds. The escalators installed in the oblique tubes are among the longest in Europe. The biggest is 35 m long. 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. The Atomium, designed to last six months, was not destined to survive the 1958 World 's Fair, but its popularity and success made it a major element of the 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. Renovation Brussels ' Atomium under renovation in February 2004 By the turn of the millennium, the state of the building had become quite deteriorated and a comprehensive renovation was sorely needed. 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 spheres with stainless steel. On 21 December 2005, the new Atomium 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 at each meridian, symbolizing the range of an electron around its core. 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 paid one - third of the costs, the Belgian government financed two thirds. To help pay for renovations, pieces of the old aluminium plates were sold to the public as souvenirs. One triangular piece about 2 metres ( 7 ft ) long sold for € 1,000. On the occasion of the reopening, a 2 euro commemorative coin depicting the building was issued, in March 2006, to celebrate the renovation. Gallery Some spheres in frog view Escalator in the Atomium connecting spheres View from the inside The illuminated spheres of the Atomium at night Worldwide copyright claims A photograph of the Atomium, censored due to lack of freedom of panorama rights at the time A model of the Atomium at Minimundus, in Austria SABAM, Belgium 's society for collecting copyrights, has claimed worldwide intellectual property rights on all reproductions of the image via the United States Artists Rights Society ( ARS ). For example, SABAM issued a demand that a United States website remove all images of the Atomium from its pages. The website responded by replacing all such images with a warning not to take photographs of the Atomium, and that A.S.B.L. Atomium will sue if you show them to anyone. SABAM confirmed that permission is required. Ralf Ziegermann remarked on the complicated copyright instructions on the Atomium 's website specific to `` private pictures ''. The organisers of Belgian heritage, Anno Expo ( planning the 50th anniversary celebrations of Expo 58 ), in the city of Mechelen announced a `` cultural guerrilla strike '' by asking people to send in their old photographs of the Atomium and requested 100 photoshoppers to paint over the balls. SABAM responded that they would make an exception for 2008 and that people could publish private photographs for one year only on condition 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. On 23 February 2009, Axel Addington, web content manager for Atomium, emailed a clarification to the Glass Steel and Stone website, which some years earlier redacted its photographs of the Atomium after being threatened. He stated : The royalties are perceived ( sic ) by the descendants of André Waterkeyn, the engineer who conceived Atomium in 1955, and not by the A.S.B.L Atomium. So, you 've probably been sued by the SABAM ( Belgian Copyright Company ) because of the Waterkeyn Family. From the Atomium 's website, the current copyright restrictions exempt private individuals under the following conditions : This is the case where photographs are taken by private individuals and shown on private websites for no commercial purpose ( the current trend for photo albums ). In accordance with legislation, usage rights for the image of the Atomium would naturally extend to 1st January 2076, in other words, the seventieth anniversary of André Waterkeyn 's death. In the summer of 2015, Belgian political party Open Vld, 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. See also Freedom of panorama List of tallest structures in Belgium References ^ Jump up to : Official website Jump up ^ Benavides Canepa, Jessica ( 24 January 2013 ). `` 11 of Europe 's most bizarre buildings ''. CNN. Retrieved 25 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` History ''. Atomium Foundation. Retrieved 29 July 2016. Jump up ^ `` Atomium ( 1958 ) Structurae '' ( in German ). En.structurae.de. 24 February 2006. Retrieved 5 July 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Atomium restored ''. Veerle Pieters. 16 February 2006. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` Such unlicensed reproduction and use of artwork on any Internet site with public access is considered in violation of the worldwide intellectual property rights of the rightsholders, including without limitation, copyright, trademark rights and moral rights ''. Chillingeffects.org. 14 July 2003. Retrieved 20 June 2015. ^ Jump up to : Simon Aughton ( 21 April 2008 ). `` 100 ' photoshoppers ' wanted to erase copyright building ''. MacUser News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2008. ' Since its creation, the Atomium is a copyrighted monument and any reproduction of its image in a publication or on a website must be accompanied by a prior authorisation request to the rightholders or to Sabam, ' a spokeswoman said. Jump up ^ `` Atomium, The : : Boulevard du Centenaire, Brussels, Belgium ''. Glass Steel and Stone. Archived from the original on 13 March 2006. Even if you are an American and think you are protected by U.S. copyright law Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 120, you will still be sued. Jump up ^ Ralf Ziegermann ( 5 January 2008 ). `` Atomium and Expo ' 58 ''. The Cartoonist. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2013. Jump up ^ `` Copyright photo ''. Official blog of the Atomium & Expo 58. 2008. Archived from the original on 1 July 2008. In the precise and exclusive case of information articles related to the festivities of the fiftieth birthday of the Atomium and of Expo 58, private pictures intended for non-commercial and non-promotional purposes, published in low resolution ( max. 600 pixels wide / 72 dpi ), are free from copyrights. However, the copyright © Sabam 2008 - www.atomium.be must be mentioned. Jump up ^ www.expo58.eu `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 26. CS1 maint : Archived copy as title ( link ) ^ Jump up to : `` The balls of Brussels ''. embe. 10 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Jump up ^ www.anno-expo.eu ( in Dutch ) Jump up ^ `` Belangrijk bericht aan de bezoekers / inzenders / photoshoppers / lezers '' ( in Dutch ). Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2008. Jump up ^ Christophe Callewaert ( 9 April 2008 ). `` Sabam in het nauw ''. Indymedia Belgium ( in Dutch ). Jump up ^ Atomium.be copyright, retrieved 26 March 2010. Jump up ^ `` Selfies aan Atomium weldra helemaal legaal ''. demorgen.be. Retrieved 27 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` Moniteur Belge - Belgisch Staatsblad ''. ejustice.just.fgov.be. Retrieved 27 March 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atomium. Official website Atomium renovation and interior design by Conix Architects Atomium at Structurae Webcam Atomium Atomium : virtual visit Free Pictures Atomium Brussels Discovery Atomium 's architecture Tallest buildings and structures in Belgium Skyscrapers Artevelde Tower Astro Tower Belgacom Towers Brusilia Finance Tower KBC Tower Madou Plaza Tower North Galaxy Towers Rogier Tower South Tower World Trade Center Radio and TV towers Mechelen - Zuid water tower Sint - Pieters - Leeuw Tower VRT Zendstation Egem Wavre transmitter Zendmast Ruiselede ( destroyed ) Other Atomium Brussels Justice Palace Brussels Town Hall Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp Church of Our Lady, Bruges Pont de Wandre St Martin 's Cathedral, Ypres St. Rumbold 's Cathedral Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atomium&oldid=865999690 '' Categories : Buildings and structures completed in 1958 Buildings and structures in Brussels Tourist attractions in Brussels World 's fairs in Brussels World 's fair architecture in Belgium Copyright infringement Hidden categories : CS1 German - language sources ( de ) CS1 maint : Archived copy as title Articles with Dutch - language external links CS1 Dutch - language sources ( nl ) Use dmy dates from January 2013 Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata Coordinates on Wikidata Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Structurae ID different from Wikidata All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from October 2016 Articles with permanently dead external links Pages with maps Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lumbaart Magyar മലയാളം Malti Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Walon Winaray 中文 41 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 October 2018, at 16 : 14 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: original plan for the atomium after expo 58
Answer: The Atomium, designed to last six months, was not destined to survive the 1958 World's Fair