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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... View full entry
The next stage of building a scientific support facility in Antarctica begins this week [...]
A 20 person-plus team from BAS construction partners BAM, Ramboll and Sweco is working on the second season of building the cutting-edge science and operations building. Construction can only take place during a short window during the Antarctic summer months, avoiding the harsh, dark winter.
— British Antarctic Survey
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 New York Times
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... View full entry
There's no way to sugar coat it, the Polar Vortex of 2019 has aggressively hit various parts of the world. As people have braced themselves for the cold and frigid temperatures, how does the harsh cold remind us of building more resilient structures? Chicago and many other areas in the U.S. have... View full entry
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. — BBC News
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 View full entry
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.
— British Antarctic Survey
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... View full entry
As part of the newly launched interdisciplinary Antarctic Biennial, architect Gustav Dusing and artist Sho Hasegawa will be sent to Antarctica in March 2017 for what could be described as an inspiring, if chilly, imaginative tabula rasa. The winners for the Biennial were chosen during this year's... View full entry
More than a century has passed since explorers raced to plant their flags at the bottom of the world, and for decades to come this continent is supposed to be protected as a scientific preserve, shielded from intrusions like military activities and mining.
But an array of countries are rushing to assert greater influence here, with an eye not just toward the day those protective treaties expire, but also for the strategic and commercial opportunities that exist right now.
— New York Times
Water, oil, krill: Antarctica isn't just an ice-locked science station any longer, but a giant potential resource center hotly pursued by several strategic-thinking nations. Is the pursuit of scientific inquiry being stripped away in favor of the extraction of raw materials? Um, it would appear... View full entry
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. — archrecord.construction.com
