Ken Adam designed the War Room set in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove.
Adam was the film’s production designer and created the vast, circular command center where American officials debate the unfolding nuclear crisis. Its large triangular conference table, map-covered walls, and huge illuminated circular ceiling became among the movie’s most recognizable visual elements.
The War Room was built at Shepperton Studios in England. Its scale was deliberately theatrical: Kubrick wanted it to feel imposing while also allowing the actors and camera to move freely around the table. The set’s design helped turn political discussion into a darkly comic spectacle.
Ken Adam later became famous for designing sets for several James Bond films, including the iconic control rooms and villain headquarters. Some accounts describe the War Room’s ceiling as a dome, but Adam’s design was a broad, angular structure photographed to create that impression.