Antarctica is the most challenging place in the world to build. Thanks to the unforgiving temperatures, fierce winds, and icy ground, the only structures found there are polar research stations. Also, despite all the ice, most of the hostile continent is technically a desert. However, the few buildings that have set up shop on the South Pole are ingenious feats of engineering. With all their cutting-edge features, it's no surprise the stations look like something out of a sci-fi film.
Belgium's research station Princess Elisabeth is Antarctica's first zero-emission station, and does not require interior heating due to its layers of aerodynamic stainless steel. India's modernist-style Bharati Research Station is made from 134 prefab shipping containers, and can withstand blizzards, rough winds and temperatures of 40 degrees below zero. The Halley VI station, operated by the British Antarctic Survey and placed on a floating ice shelf, is the world's first fully relocatable polar research station. Photos, below:
· Ice Lab: New Architecture and Science in Antarctica [Arts Catalyst]
· IceCube Research Station [Atlas Obscura]
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