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Summer's here in Antarctica — let's build!

2024-12-02T15:50:00-05:00

As the Northern Hemisphere approaches the winter season, construction activity on our southernmost continent has kicked into overdrive: More favorable summer temps have opened up a brief six-month window at the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera research station and operations hub, allowing for completion of the new 'Discovery Building' purpose-built scientific support facility.

Work at the Rothera site has brought together expertise from BAM, Ramboll, Sweco, GA Barnies, Turner and Townsend, and Hugh Broughton Architects.

The British Antarctic Survey's website describes the modernization efforts in more detail.

Previously on Archinect: Construction season begins for UK's largest Antarctic research hub

Construction season begins for UK's largest Antarctic research hub

2022-12-12T20:50:00-05:00

A six month construction season is set to begin at the United Kingdom’s largest Antarctic research and operations hub. Called the Rothera Research Station, it supports leading researchers in frontier science in the region.

This marks the start of the next phase of the British Antarctic Survey’s Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization Program (AIMP), which is part of the UK’s long-term plan to modernize its research facilities in the poles. Through a collaboration with construction services company BAM, engineering and design company Ramboll, and architecture firm Sweco, the project aims to provide polar science infrastructure that will enable the UK to deliver climate, biodiversity and ocean research, and innovation to Antarctica.

According to BAM, this season is expected to be the busiest and most challenging since the program began in 2017. This is especially pertinent given the small window that construction can take place in the region in order to avoid its harsh and dark winte...

British Antarctic Survey announces construction partner to modernize UK polar research facilities

2017-01-05T14:42:00-05:00

Construction expert BAM has been chosen to partner with British Antarctic Survey (BAS) to modernise UK Antarctic and other research facilities, enabling British scientists to continue delivering world class research into some of the most important issues facing our planet. [...] Commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), this long-term UK partnership will last between 7-10 years and is worth an estimated £100m.

Construction near the South Pole comes with its own set of challenges which the winning bidder, BAM International, along with its UK arm, BAM Nuttall, promises to master with years of expertise in working in remote parts of the world.

The British Antarctic Survey's announcement yesterday went on to say:

"The Antarctic construction projects will present unique challenges given the continent is the highest, driest, coldest and windiest on Earth, and most construction work will need to be completed during the four month window of the Antarctic summer. Construction workers will live and work alongside science teams in harsh and remote environments, sometimes in sub-zero temperatures."