In response to an open call, Bovenbouw Architectuur and ono architectuur were commissioned by Niras (the National Institute for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials) to design a communication and community centre adjacent to a radioactive waste storage facility in Dessel.

On reading this brief, the reader might raise an eyebrow or two. Dirk Somers (Bovenbouw Architectuur) and David de Bruijn (ono architectuur) also smile a little uneasily when explaining the building’s programme. Throughout the project, they regularly asked themselves what stance they, as designers, should take on the ethical issue of nuclear energy, and how they could strike a balance between the welcoming nature of a community centre and the representation of a sensitive topic such as nuclear waste. The designers decided to translate the tension in the brief into a building that radiates this duality. Niras proved to be an interesting client, supporting from the outset a project that would not conceal or deny the nearby nuclear waste storage facility, but rather make it visible within the landscape.