Project Description
Completed in 2010, the new station is strategically situated at the South Pole on a 10,000-foot thick moving ice, and is one of the premier facilities of its kind. Built to accommodate the National Science Foundation’s Polar Research Programs, the structure is modularly designed for all parts to be shipped by ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules cargo aircraft. Its windward facade is shaped similar to an airplane wing to facilitate natural scouring of snow above and below the building. Outboard columns conceal jacking systems allowing the whole structure to be raised, prolonging its life-span. A city in miniature including a NASA plant-growth chamber for fresh food production, this structure will accommodate 150 people in the three-month summer and 50 people during the nine-month winter isolation.