This Weird Antarctic Building Can Ski On Ice
Halley VI Hugh Broughton ArchitectsKeeping more than 50 scientists warm in style. This is the Halley VI Antarctic research station, and today it officially opens as home to up to 52 (very cold) scientists working as part of the British Antarctic Survey. The Seuss-like $40.6 million facility, designed by Hugh Broughton Architects, is built to withstand the elements on the floating Brunt Ice Shelf. Stationary buildings can get buried under the 3 feet of ice that piles up annually here. So the Halley VI architects cleverly added hydraulic legs to the bottom of the building. The legs can be maneuvered so that the structure climbs out of the built-up snow. As Gizmag points out, giant skis attached to the bottom of the legs solve another problem: Stationary buildings on the ice shelf risk being caught on a broken-off piece of ice. But by towing these buildings away from danger, the...