The winner of the British Antarctic Survey's competition to design a new research base is this 800 ton structure that can be moved across the ice on its ski-laden legs. The base was designed by Faber Maunsell and Hugh Broughton Architects and boasts a central recreation pod between research and living modules. From News@Nature:
The central module also features large, triple-glazed picture windows; researchers living at several of Antarctica's 82 existing stations have complained of depression brought on by living in dark, cramped quarters, often completely buried by snow.Much of the modules' structure will be prefabricated, meaning the modules will be quick and easy to assemble in the harsh Antarctic conditions. "From arriving at the site to getting a weatherproof base will take just 35 days," says Peter Ayres, a member of the Faber Maunsell team.
The station will also feature solar panels for summer use, along with the aviation fuel traditionally used to power remote buildings in freezing climates. Power requirements are far greater in summer, when the station will house a crew of 52 people, as opposed to winter, when just 16 (roughly half of them scientists) will live there.
