Archinect - News

Antarctic architecture is finally taking shape

2020-01-10T15:01:00-05:00

Throughout the 20th century, architecture in Antarctica was a pragmatic and largely makeshift affair, focused on keeping the elements out and the occupants alive. [...] Construction in Antarctica, long the purview of engineers, is now attracting designer architects looking to bring aesthetics — as well as operational efficiency, durability and energy improvements — to the coldest neighborhood on Earth.

The NYT looks at the increasingly maturing architectural designs of Antarctic research stations, from early, highly pragmatic shelters to Britain’s now iconic Halley VI, designed by Hugh Broughton Architects, all the way to the brand new (and very nice looking) Brazilian Comandante Ferraz Research Station which opens this month.

Antarctic architecture is getting snazzier

2017-01-13T12:35:00-05:00

Antarctic stations have become the equivalent of embassies on the ice.."They are showcases for a nation's interests in Antarctica - status symbols" says Prof Anne-Marie Brady, editor-in-chief of the Polar Journal and author of China as a Polar Great Power.

Matthew Teller reviews some of the latest designs for Antarctic research bases. At first, they were simple wooden huts, then later, "a few wooden huts inside giant steel tubes."

The aerodynamic triple-arm design of South Korea's Jang Bogo station. Image: EPA

Halley VI Antarctic research station opens February 5

2013-01-31T19:52:00-05:00

When Hugh Broughton Architects won a design competition for the Halley VI Antarctic research station, which officially opens on February 5, the small London-based office had no experience working in extreme environments. But its proposal, developed with engineer AECOM, impressed the jury both for its technical ingenuity and its understanding that for up to 50 scientists, this inhospitable place is home.