La Rotonde

The Atomium is the most popular tourist attraction in the capital of Europe, and at the same an art centre and International symbol of Brussels and Belgium. This year, the Atomium celebrates the 20th anniversary of its renovation through an exceptional anniversary programme.

The installation we created for this occasion, “La Rotonde”, is part of three digital art installations, creating immersive experiences in dialogue with the emblematic architecture of the Atomium.
Our project is a permanent light and sound installation and aims to give the Atomium a nocturnal identity and is visible from outside at night.

The audio for this installation is an original sound composition made up of subtle rhythms, spatial textures and finely crafted transitions. To create an immersive experience, speakers were used all around the Rotonde, structuring the space in a full 360-degree environment.

The sound is completely synchronised with the light movements and amplifies the Atomium’s nocturnal presence. It offers a new way of discovering this architectural symbol through the sense of hearing.

Just as the sound, the light installation is situated around the lower dome of the Atomium. A circular structure of LED lines follows the architecture of the rotonde and a down-lighting system projects vertical beams towards the ground.

This lighting design aims to structure the space, highlight the lines of the building and accentuates this emblematic architecture through light. Some sequences are almost motionless and minimal, others are more rhythmic, this introduces more contrast to the installation.

Thanks to the light movements, vertical descents and variations in intensity, the Atomium feels alive, even at night and continues to attract visitors who are passing by.

This lighting installation is powered by led strips, small RGBW spotlights with a 5 degree beam angle and spots from our own brand, PWR Lighting.

The main challenge of this installation was to create a permanent outdoor installation with a fixation that would not damage or alter the Atomium’s architectural elements. This means no screws, no glue and no bolts. We solved this issue by creating custom design mounting brackets and by using heavy duty double-sided tape. This allowed us to install our project without modifying or damaging the façade of the dome.

Another challenge involved maximizing the continuity of the neon around the dome while reducing the complexity of cable management.
To solve this issue, we designed a custom printed circuit board with internal power injection routing, allowing us to make lengths of more than 10m.

Also, creating a 360-degree immersive installation presents a unique challenge, as visitors need to experience both the lighting design and sound seamlessly from any position around the dome. Through creative problem-solving, we were able to successfully overcome this challenge as well.

This project highlights one of the main attractions in Europe, the Atomium.

Working on this historical venue was therefore an amazing opportunity and a challenge at the same time. For many years, the Atomium has remained the main attraction in Belgium due to its unique structure and futuristic aspect.

It enjoys international recognition at an institutional, cultural and artistic level. This strong brand image offers many opportunities for digital art installations and we were lucky enough to be part of it.

Secondly, as mentioned above, we had to find a way to install our audiovisual project without modifying the Atomium’s structure. Therefore, this installation required technical knowledge and creative solutions. From concept to installation, we made sure to respect this and we believe that we overcame this challenge in the best way possible.

The final result exceeds our expectations, bringing a breath of fresh air to the Atomium while placing its architecture at the forefront. From initial concept to full installation, our aim was to redefine how visitors experience the structure by adding sound and lighting design—without altering the Atomium itself.