After 46 Years in Temporary Buildings, NATO Will Finally Move to Its Permanent Location

After forty-six years in what was supposed to be temporary housing, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] will be moving into its new and modernized headquarters in 2016. Founded in 1949 as a European-based defense coalition, NATO relocated to its present city – and into its wholly institutionally designed provisional buildings – from Paris. The wear-and-tear on NATO's temporary campus came to a dangerous head in 2004 when asbestos was discovered in the main building. Asbestos, a highly carcinogenic material, was commonly used in building products during the mid-twentieth century. Built in 1967, it is not unsurprising that asbestos was uncovered in the NATO buildings. Though banned from use in many industrialized nations now, asbestos is routinely found in a variety of buildings. Before the link between asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma cancer was established, asbestos was used heavily, primarily because the material was cheaper compared to other similar materials. The purpose-built campus is dreary and often mistaken for an abandoned hospital or an asylum. With a labyrinth of underground offices and a general feeling of being perpetually surrounded by slabs of unforgiving concrete, the NATO buildings do offer a slice of the outside world with cafes and shops that serve its four thousand employees. On schedule to be completed in 2016, the $972 million NATO fortress – built across the street from its current headquarters – will offer what the current campus does not: space to grow and to accommodate allies and partner countries, and, perhaps, to have a reprieve from the abundance of Mother Nature. Though, seemingly tongue-in-cheek, NATO staffers often comment on the unusual wildlife that populates the seventy-acre property. From parakeets to rabbits to cats, the soon-to-be former home of NATO is a surprisingly protected refuge for creatures great and small. More practically, however, the cramped space has resulted in placing new partner countries and members in makeshift offices. Simply, there is not enough space to accommodate the needs of NATO.

Put the internet to work for you. via Personal Recipe 5015765