Last September a groundbreaking new design project was unveiled at Soesterberg Air Base in the Netherlands – Secret Operation 610. Intended as both a sculptural art piece and mobile research laboratory, this object was created over the course of 18 years in a collaboration between Dutch architects and artists at Rietveld Landscape and Studio Frank Havermans.

Described by its creators as a ‘monstrous black behemoth’, its menacing appearance takes inspiration from the brutal aesthetic of military weaponry to convey the tense atmosphere of the Cold War. But its ominous exterior belies the idealistic vision housed within: as Secret Operation 610 crawls across the former NATO air force base, it currently houses a group of students researching silent, carbon-free aviation technology.

You can watch Secret Operation 610 in action here:

Image: Secret Operation 610 by Rietveld Landscape and Studio Frank Havermans. Photography © Michiel de Cleene. Courtesy of Rietveld Landscape