ITER proudly presents: The Foundation Stone.
The ITER Organization celebrated today the unveiling of the foundation stone for the Headquarters Office building currently under construction in Cadarache, France.
Located below the platform on which the ITER research facility will be built, the architectural edifice—over 24,000 m²—was designed to fit harmoniously into its natural environment.
The Headquarters will be composed of three buildings.
The first will be used to receive the public and will include a conference room for 50 people. The facade will be made from architectural concrete that offers advantages for both style and structure. Extremely smooth and aesthetically-pleasing, this highly-resistant concrete can be shaped to produce some very striking asymmetrical designs. The building will have a green roof to help regulate the temperature inside the building.
The architect's impression of the future ITER Headquarters building.
The second main building with a surface area of 20,500 m² will house offices for 460 people, a canteen catering to 1,000 people, a boardroom for 200, and an amphitheatre for 500. Its design aims to replicate the interculturality of the ITER Project that brings together more than thirty different nationalities. Robust yet ethereal, this building will be 160 metres long, 21 metres wide and about 20 metres high. Its north-west facade will be shaped like a bird's wing and will be adorned with a shading system composed of seven centimetre-thick, fibre-reinforced concrete slats positioned vertically. These slats will form a protective veil against the wind and will vary in shape according to the angle of the viewer, ambient light, or the seasons.
The third building will be reserved for medical facilities and access control, and will provide a connection to the ITER research facilities.
ITER Director-General Osamu Motojima (left) unveiling the foundation stone with the help of Igor Borovkov, the Head of the Russian Delegation to the ITER Council. In the background are Robert-Jan Smits, Head of the European Delegation; William Brinkman from the US Department of Energy; and Evgeny Velikhov, the Chairman of the ITER Council.
Schedule:
It will take two years to construct these buildings. Work on the foundations began in September 2010, and the first walls were erected in late October. Construction of the super-structure (floors, pillars, walls, etc.) will come next, before the facades and exterior fittings are installed in April 2011. The specialty trades will then move in to take care of floor coverings, ceilings, walls, locks, etc. Installation of electricity, heating and elevators is planned for November 2011.
Technical details:
Contracting authority: Agence ITER France
Contracting authority support: Altran
Prime contractor: A group of architects from the Var Department including Rudy Ricciotti and Laurent Bonhomme, working in partnership with the technical design offices CAP-Ingelec & SNC-Lavalin.
Grouping of public works companies: Léon Grosse and Axima. Léon Grosse built the Pavillon Noir dance auditorium and the TGV train station in Aix-en-Provence, and both the Museum of Natural History and the Orangerie Museum in Paris. Founded in 1881 by Leon Grosse in Aix-les-Bains, it is now one of the most reputed public works companies in France.
Workforce: The work force will climb from approximately 50 people during the early stages of the work in autumn 2010, to 200 people during the season of peak activity (spring 2011).
Cost of works: EUR 40 million financed cojointly by Europe and France.
