VOG-2 Storage Building for Depleted Uranium

The VOG-2 building is a special building with a special function: the storage of radioactive waste. This placed high demands on the design and quality of the implementation. The assignment included all construction and infrastructural work and installations, including fully automatic overhead cranes.

Project properties

Project name

VOG-2 Storage Building for Depleted Uranium

Location

Nieuwdorp, Vlissingen

Client

Covra N.V.

Special project

The VOG-2 building is earthquake- and hurricane-resistant. The façades are 75 cm thick, of which 60 cm is made of cast in situ concrete, and the concrete roof deck is 20 cm thick and supports a layer of soil and a roof garden. Wall openings have been restricted to a minimum number of required doors made of extra-strong steel. With the use of fully automatic overhead cranes, an interior storage system is created that minimises the exposure to radioactive radiation during the intake of waste.

Sundial

The VOG-2 building is not only special from a technical point of view; it is also Europe's largest sundial. Steel tubes have been fastened at the corners of the building, which protrude 15 metres beyond the building’s exterior and cast their shadows on a sundial that has been painted on the façade. The sundial shows the exact time every year on 21 June. The shadow of the sun then follows the orange lines on the building. The sundial symbolises time, which ultimately renders radioactivity harmless.