Designing Green at the South Pole Joseph J Ferraro and William D Brooks
The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is located on the polar plateau at an elevation of 2,835m above sea level, within one hundred metres of the geographic South pole.
Quadrants were developed to determine the best site for the station. A: operations sector, B: clean air sector, C: quiet sector, D: downwind sector.
Conventional construction drifts over with snow and becomes buried.
The above-surface and below-surface facilities at the South Pole Station.
The above surface habitat of Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
CFD Analysis indicating the windward and leeward snow drift patterns.
b uilt in 1956, rebuilt in 1975 with a dramatic 51m diameter geo- desic dome, Amundsen-Scott is undergoing its second significant reconstruction and modernization. Currently in the second of five construction phases, Amundsen-Scott is scheduled to be complete and operational in 2007. To extend the station’s useful life, to minimize the operational energy it consumes and to provide a healthy habitat for its occupants, the new station incorporates a number of sustainable design strategies, many uniquely suited to the climatic conditions of the polar plateau, that could set the standard for future development on the continent. The program calls for over 6,000 square metres of living, recreational, scientific, medical and administrative support spaces. The above-surface portion of the station would be a complete habitat for a winter-over population of 50, a summer population of up to 150, and would be connected to below-surface support spaces including a one-megawatt power plant, bulk storage facilities, fuel storage facilities and a heavy equipment garage/shop (see plan above).
The unique sustainable aspects of Amundsen-Scott were developed in response to four critical design objectives:
1. to minimize the impact to the South Pole environment 2. to ensure a station useful life of 25 years or more 3. to maximize energy efficiency 4. to provide a high quality indoor environment
Amundsen-Scott Station conducts research in aeronomy, astrophysics, glaciology, climatology, and seismology. For building development that would not compromise the station’s scientific mission, the site analysis reviewed the station components in relation to climate, the airstrip, the effects of snowdrifting, the annual migration of the polar ice cap (10m/ year) and the existing science sectors surrounding the site.The best site for the new station was in quadrant A. Development here would avoid wind borne contaminants that could affect atmospheric research, it was sufficiently far from seismic research, did not pose height problems for balloon experiments, facilitated easy access to the airstrip and localized snowdrifting to designated undeveloped areas.
On Site review 11
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Spring 2004
Architecture of the Circumpolar Region
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