Antarctic Discovery Building designed for one of the harshest environments on Earth
UK studio Hugh Broughton Architects and NORR have exclusively revealed the aerodynamic Antarctic Discovery Building, which is topped with a unique snow deflector.
Created in collaboration with engineering consultants Ramboll, Turner & Townsend and Sweco, the multipurpose structure was designed "to perform in one of the harshest environments on Earth", according to Hugh Broughton Architects.
Antarctic Discovery Building is the centrepiece of Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island, which is the base for British research in Antarctica and acts as the capital of the British Antarctic Territory.
The 4,500-square-metre, sky-blue building is topped with a control tower for the base's airstrip and replaces nine separate buildings at the research centre.
"The aim was to bring together almost all of the station's key operational functions under one roof," Hugh Broughton Architects founder Hugh Broughton told Dezeen.
"At Rothera, operations include both a gravel runway and a wharf that receives the Sir David Attenborough research and logistics vessel, so the control tower plays a critical role in coordinating air and marine activity," he continued.
"From seated positions, operators have clear 360-degree views to the new wharf and along the full length of the runway and associated aircraft approach paths."
The ground floor of the two-storey structure contains the main plant for generating power and heat, along with the base's main store area. On the upper floor, there are operational offices, a gym, a music room, an arts and crafts space, a sauna and even a climbing wall.
Significantly, the building contains a double-height vehicle workshop and exhibition preparation area that requires ground-level access. While many Antarctic buildings are raised on stilts to deal with snow drift, Hugh Broughton Architects needed to develop a different strategy to ensure level access.
Placed directly in the path of the prevailing wind, the form of the building encourages wind to flow over it, while a deflector runs the full length of the roof, directing the wind to blow snow away from the building's south facade.
"One of the most significant design challenges in Antarctica is managing snow drift," explained Broughton.
"Snow that accumulates against a building can freeze, causing serious damage to facade materials. While many Antarctic buildings are elevated to allow wind to scour snow from beneath them, the Discovery Building is ground-based," he continued.
According to Broughton, the wind deflector was positioned to direct snow away from the south side as "a ground-based building with a pitched roof creates a risk of snow building up along the leeward facade, where wind speed drops".
"Acting a little like an aerofoil on a Formula One car, it accelerates the wind as it travels down the facade, maintaining sufficient speed to scour snow away from the building and push it further out into the landscape," he explained.
To deal with the cold, the building is wrapped in highly insulated blue composite panels, broken only by bands of triple-glazed windows. This, along with photovoltaics arranged on the north-facing facade, helped the building to become the first BREEAM-certified project in Antarctica.
"Sustainability is critical in Antarctica because everything required to operate a station has to be transported from elsewhere, involving enormous energy cost, carbon emissions and logistical effort," said Broughton.
"One of the most effective sustainability strategies to reduce carbon emissions is multi-functionality – bringing many activities into a single building dramatically reduces the need to move people, equipment and supplies across the site," he continued.
"Careful zoning also improves efficiency by minimising travel distances within the building. Orientation and the wind deflector reduce the energy required to manage snow, while the high-performance thermal envelope reduces heat loss. The combined heat and power system further improves efficiency by making full use of energy that would otherwise be wasted."
Hugh Broughton Architects has designed several buildings in Antarctica, including the mobile Halley VI Antarctic Research Station, and it is currently working on an extension to the Australian Antarctic research base.
Broughton believes there has been a significant shift in Antarctic architecture design thinking, since they first started working in the region 2o years ago.
"Across the polar regions, there has been a clear shift in thinking – we see more multifunctional buildings that use space more efficiently, with improved ratios of usable floor area to external envelope, making them more energy-efficient and sustainable," Broughton said.
"Buildings now respond much more strongly to their environmental context, particularly through aerodynamic form and careful orientation to both wind and sun. At the same time, there has been a far greater emphasis on the wellbeing of the people who live and work inside these buildings," he continued.
"The Discovery Building reflects this broader trajectory in Antarctic architecture: towards buildings that are more energy-efficient, more responsive to their environment and more attuned to human needs. In that sense, it sets a benchmark for the next generation of large, multifunctional Antarctic buildings."
The main photo is by Matt Hughes.
Project credits:
Architect: Hugh Broughton Architects
Client: British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
Technical advisers & developed design: Ramboll, Norr, Turner & Townsend
Main contractor: BAM
Delivery consultant: Sweco
Delivery architect: Hugh Broughton Architects
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