the world’s firstfusion café
West Burton in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire is set to transform with the development of the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) project, the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant which aims to demonstrate clean electricity from fusion energy.Being led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), and in partnership with Bassetlaw District Council, The Bridge Fusion Energy Café project was designed to connect the local community with the UKAEA fusion energy programme of works.
Located within the existing Bridge Skills Hub in Worksop, the not-for-profit café was created with funding from Bassetlaw District Council and the Fusion Foundations programme, the Government's £184 million programme to develop the facilities, infrastructure, and skills to support a thriving fusion sector in the UK. Working collaboratively with Lindum, the £400,000 fit out and interior design scheme completed in August 2024, delivering the World's first 'Fusion Energy Café'.
Sector
Commercial
Services
Interior Design
Status
Completed August 2024
Client
UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and Bassetlaw District Council
Location
The Bridge Skills Hub, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Scheme value
£400,000
Contractor
Lindum
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Requirement
With the multi-billion-pound nuclear fusion energy project due to start imminently, our brief was to design a space that could be used to bridge the community to the UKAEA fusion energy projects, including STEP 2030 and West Burton 2025.
The STEP and West Burton schemes will see the redevelopment of the former West Burton power plant, and a new UK power plant based on the compact ‘spherical tokamak’ reactor concept, with the aim to deliver net electric power output by 2040.
Fusion energy, based on the same processes that power the sun and other stars, has great potential to deliver a safe and virtually limitless source of clean electricity.
West Burton A was a coal-fired power station which closed in 2023 and so, along with the redevelopment of the site to produce clean energy, sustainability was essential to the brief and was the core driver for decision making throughout the project.
What is aTokamak?
A ‘Tokamak’ is a Russian word for a ring-shaped magnetic chamber and the name of the type of machine that uses large magnets and high pressure to create fusion energy, similar to a tiny version of a star.
The inside walls of the Tokamak are coated with materials with a high melting temperature such as tungsten and beryllium. This is to minimise damage caused while holding a fusion plasma.
Solutions
Until 2023, The Bridge Skills Hub was a long-term vacant building in Worksop town centre. Now a state-of-the-art skills and education hub, the building welcomes businesses and supports learners undertaking higher education programmes, apprenticeships, access courses and more.
Fitting out an existing space, the project involved careful and sustainable interior design solutions to bring about a facility that would bring the local community together and promote the variety of skills and diversity in the future energy projects, and the variety of job and wider social opportunities in fusion energy.
Outcomes
Taking inspiration from the forms and materials of a Tokamak fusion energy generator, specifically JET, the world’s largest and most advanced Tokamak, we have created an immersive and inspiring experience which includes various learning spaces and settings.
Sustainability has been weaved into every aspect of the project and using the process of generating fusion energy as the catalyst, curves and fins have been integrated into the user journey throughout the building and into subtle design influences within the furniture.
Curved aerial batons, which are made from 100% recycled materials, represent fusion energy instantly set the scene upon entering the café. In the centre of the room a giant halo light acts as a visual representation of the reactor core, or plasma of the Tokamak, and provides a sleek and minimal interior style.
Working closely with Kinnarps, all of the café furniture is ‘cradle-to-grave’, meaning that the sustainability has been assessed for each stage of the product’s lifecycle from natural resource, through manufacturing to transportation, in use and disposal.
Table tops and the ceiling rafts mirroring the spherical motion of fusion and take inspiration from the clashing atoms of fusion and allow for flexible layouts and settings outside of a café
The loose cafe style furniture offsets from the ‘Tokamak’ centre of the space and allows for layouts to be adapted depending on the event requirements. The café itself has a servery counter that includes brushed metal and solid surface finishes.
Walls with surface mounted, perforated panels and integrated lighting create a simplified form inspired by the Tokamak where visitors have the choice to enter or explore around the intervention. Internally screens are fixed to create a digital and interactive learning space. Externally the profile of the walls morph to integrate seating and tablets, to create a multifunctional response.
Fuelling hungry minds and appetites, the Fusion Energy Café - the world’s first fusion café - opened in November 2024 with the aim to actively engage the local communities of Retford, Worksop and wider-Nottinghamshire in fusion energy and technical training opportunities.
The café is designed to be utilised for 3 years, until the completion of the first phase of the West Burton surrounding infrastructure, including a further education college and training centre. The UKAEA, Bassetlaw District Council and businesses involved in the West Burton development are now hosting careers events at the café to raise awareness and attract young people who may one day work in this exciting new sector – and inspiring a generation of young people who could one day, work at the West Burton fusion energy plant or across wider STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) industries.
The Fusion Energy Café really is unique as the first Fusion Energy Café in world. The space is immersive, inspiring, and full of energy. It captures the essence of the Tokamak beautifully, creating an environment that feels both futuristic and grounded in purpose. What really stands out is how it draws people in – residents, businesses, young people – and makes them feel part of something bigger. It’s a place that sparks imagination and opens doors to the incredible possibilities within fusion and STEM. A truly visionary piece of work."
Julie Beresford, Head of Growth and Economic Prosperity of Bassetlaw District Council
Bassetlaw District Council Chief Executive, David Armiger said: “This exciting collaboration will bring the process of fusion energy closer to our communities and help to inspire a generation of young people who could one day, work at the prototype fusion energy plant at West Burton or across wider STEM Industries (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
“The café is just the start of our journey to provide local people with the skills, knowledge and aspirations that could see them contribute to the wider fusion energy sector and provide the UK with near limitless clean energy in the future."
