Halley VI Finalists named!

Faber Maunsell has been named as one of the final remaining teams in the running to design the Halley VI Research Station in Antarctica. The Halley VI competition attracted 86 entries and was launched in June by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Faber Maunsell’s concept was one of three winning designs for the new station, picked from six short-listed teams and announced on 24th November at the Halley VI Design Exhibition at the RIBA.

The next step for the team will be a site visit in January 2005 to undertake field-testing and experience the extreme Antarctic environment at first hand. The winning design will be finally announced in September 2005.

Located 10,000 miles from the UK on a 150 m thick floating ice shelf, the new complex, replacing the current Halley V Research Station, will be self-sufficient, re-locatable, able to withstand freezing winter temperatures of around -50ºC and have minimal impact on Antarctica's pristine environment.

The Faber Maunsell design is based on a modular kit of parts that can adapt to the changing external conditions and future science needs. Grouped around a central "living module", the accommodation, workspace and energy pods form an integrated research facility designed to deal with the extreme conditions on the Brunt Ice Shelf. Each module will be highly insulated and incorporate low energy and sustainable principles to help reduce the station’s environmental impact.

The building modules are raised on legs clear of the ground and are designed to be relocated to deal with the 1.5m per year snow accumulation and the ice shelf’s inexorable movement towards the ocean. The legs are founded on specially developed skis which enable prefabricated modules to be towed to the site from the edge of the sea ice to minimise the on site construction period. The skis are designed to be man-handleable and interchangeable to allow for future flexibility and mobility.

The concept was described by the judging panel as “a strong architectural design. The modular approach enables units to be linked together to form a station that can accommodate user requirements and be easily relocated.” The depth of thought given to the construction phase particularly impressed the panel.

Faber Maunsell are lead designers, supported by specialist cold climate and remote location expertise in DMJM, one of our sister companies in the AECOM group. DMJM have been responsible for the construction of more facilities in Antarctica than any other company in the world, including the South Pole Observatory and the South Pole Station Dormitory. Architectural Design has been provided by Hugh Broughton, one of the outstanding emerging talents in British architecture.