Thirty-nine buildings and technical areas will house the plant systems necessary for the operation of the ITER Tokamak. The Tokamak Building will be the core of ITER, where fusion experiments are planned to begin in November 2020. The reinforced, six-storey concrete structure will be 73 metres high (13 metres below the platform level and 60 metres above). Pre-assembly of Tokamak components will take place in the adjacent Assembly Hall. Other auxiliary buildings in the vicinity of the Tokamak Building will include cooling towers, electrical installations, a control room, facilities for the management of waste, and the cryogenics plant that will provide liquid helium to cool the ITER magnets.

The preliminary design of these buildings was completed by the ITER Organization in 2010 before signing the largest-ever Procurement Arrangement in ITER Organization history (EUR 537 million) with the European Domestic Agency, Fusion for Energy (F4E), for the construction of all platform buildings and site infrastructures in May 2010.

This important signature opened the way to ITER construction.

The European Consortium ENGAGE (Assystem, France; Atkins, UK; Empresados Agrupados, Spain; and Iosis, France) was chosen by the European Domestic Agency as Architect/Engineer, with responsibility for the completion of the construction design for all buildings, site infrastructure and power supplies, and the monitoring of construction activity. ENGAGE will assist F4E for the next eight years of ITER construction. At the peak of the design activity, more than 230 engineers and designers are expected to be working under this contract.

An artist's view of the ITER scientific facilities with, on the left, the Headquarters building. Photo: ENGAGE

The European Domestic Agency also concluded a contract in 2010 for health and safety protection with the French firm Apave. Apave will review the design during the conception phase with regard to health and safety issues, establish the health and safety plan required by French regulation, and follow the work during the construction phase.

Please click here to see the latest aerial photos of the ITER site (September 2011).