The atmosphere of the augmented museum is threatening in the aim of discouraging further exploration.

The augmented museum is composed of a sequence of nuclearscapes – each telling a chapter of nuclear history.

The most important nuclearscapes is the nuclear waste space. The room is divided into 5 parts : nuclear fuel cycle, waste production, landfill nuclear waste disposal, dry cask waste storage, and ocean nuclear waste disposal.

The masterplan shows the transient nuclear centre at t0 positioned adjacent to the power station and the augmented museum surrounding it .

The project also briefly touches on a choreography of decay, where the decline of the architecture is managed so that core elements are later on discovered to allow for the augmented museum to appear.

MArch Architecture|DS 18

RADIATION ATHENEUM & THE TRANSIENT ESTATE

by Chada Elalami

Name

Chada Elalami

w1820755@my.westminster.ac.uk

Course

MArch Architecture

“Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture”. This is only one of many messages requested to be evoked by a report on long-term nuclear waste warning messages. In laying out the dangers of nuclear power, few are aware of the hazards caused by unethical nuclear waste disposal methods. While it is technologically challenging to eradicate radioactive traces from the ecosystem, it is crucial to attempt to locate sites of concentrated radiation and communicate it by using nuclear semiotics. The project involves a complex superposition of architectural programmes to keep up with the extended radiation timeline. At t0, that is when the decommissioning is completed, a nuclear centre – meant to be transient – neighbours the repository. Left to decay, the architecture timeline reaches t1, more than 50 years later, when the skin of the building has collapsed, revealing a core under structure of stone markers. With an emphasis on stability and durability, the markers invite visitors to explore a nuclear museum in an augmented world. Therefore, at t1+, the future generations are presented with an array of spatial sequences recounting the complex nuclear history, from its genesis in the 20th century to its downfall.