07.22.2005 08:38
New British Antarctic research base design features retractable legs with skis for towing
Here's the winner of the British Antarctic
Survey design competition, and a link to the announcement: Faber
Maunsell and Hugh Broughton win Halley VI Design
Competition
There's an interview of lead architect Hugh Broughton on the U.S. News and World Report web site at Science News: Antarctic architecture. From the interview:
There's an interview of lead architect Hugh Broughton on the U.S. News and World Report web site at Science News: Antarctic architecture. From the interview:
[Broughton:] Every year, each leg rises up
out of the snow in turn, new snow is put underneath, and the leg is
settled down onto this raised platform, so the whole station gently
rises up on the mechanical legs to resettle at a level above the
snow. It's a bit like if you've got your boots on, you can lift
your foot out of the snow and shake the snow off and then put it
back down again. ... [T]here's the risk of that ice cracking up and
the station disappearing on an iceberg. The new base will be built
on skis, so that you can tow it to a new location when there's a
risk of the iceberg forming.
Apparently, retractable legs are a current feature of Antarctic
research facilities, since the firm's announcement says 'The
modules' mechanical legs will significantly ease the task of
raising the station. Our design will enable three workers to carry
out the task in on one week. At present, it takes six specialist
steel workers an entire season to do the job.'