Contractors racing for the arrival of Antarctic winter have completed an important milestone of building a new two-story science and operations building at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Rosella Research Station. energy efficiency.
Antarctica is as hostile an environment as you are likely to encounter on Earth. This is especially true for buildings that are never easily reachable on continents that have to deal with extreme cold, high winds, snow and moving glaciers.
Rothera Research Station’s new Discovery Building has been under construction for four years, with 54 contractors vying to complete major construction milestones, with Antarctic winter coming in the coming weeks.
Discovery’s aim is to replace many old buildings with one large 4,500 m² (48,400 ft²) building with a useful life of half a century. The new structure is now clad in blue metal cladding and houses an operations tower that allows staff to monitor the wharf, base operations, and the airfield.
BAS/Christopher Robert Lloyd/Lambor
This single building provides a large volume-to-surface ratio to improve energy efficiency as well as make science and base operations more efficient. The windows are triple glazed and the walls are insulated. The building design includes special deflectors to keep snow from accumulating on and around the building.
Additionally, the Discovery has its own heating and power station, with a roof lined with solar panels. This is an extra-than-normal feature in an area where the sun doesn’t set for six months at a base that’s mostly abandoned for the winter except for a minimal crew.
BAS/Christopher Robert Lloyd/Lambor
According to BAS, the new building will reduce the base’s overall carbon footprint by 25%. Construction will resume in November of this year, and Discovery is expected to be completed in 2025.
“It is a true honor for the British Antarctic Survey and our partners to personally see the commencement of cladding and continue to see the Discovery Building form and finally achieve the planned weathering during this season. This is a major milestone that we are looking forward to and is a testament to our collaborative approach to delivering infrastructure projects in Antarctica,” said Ellen Jones, AIMP Program Director, BAS. “We would like to thank everyone at Rothera for their cooperation and support during this difficult but rewarding construction season.”
The video below shows how the new building rises over time.
Discovery Building
Source: BAS
