Hugh Broughton Architects

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Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station 1
Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station 2
Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station 3
Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station 4
Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station 5
Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station 6
Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station 7
Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station 8

Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station

A pioneering relocatable polar science research station

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Location

Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Date

2005 - 2013

Client

British Antarctic Survey

HBA Team

Sarah Besly, Hugh Broughton, Grenville Herrald, Adam Knight, Max Martin, Gianluca Rendina, Phil Wells

Collaborators

AECOM (multi-disciplinary consultants)
Galliford Try International (main contractor)
Billings Design Associates
(cladding consultant)
Colour Effects (colour consultant)

Awards

American Architecture Prize 2016 - Gold Award
American Society of Civil Engineers Outstanding Civil Engineering
Achievement Award 2015
Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award
International Design Awards First Prize: Institutional
American Society of Civil Engineers Award of Merit 2015
Civic Trust Award 2014
Civic Trust Awards Special Award for Sustainability 2014
ENR Best Global Education/Research Project 2014
ENR Best Global Project 2014
Architizer A+ Award 2014 (Higher Education/Research)
Architizer A+ Art and Science Award 2014
ICE 'Designed in London' Award 2014
AIA UK Excellence in Design Winner 2013
RIBA International Award for Architecture 2013
BCI Awards International Project of the Year 2013
Structural Awards Award for Sustainability 2013
The British Safety Council International Safety Award 2011

Photography

James Morris
Ant Dubber
Sam Burrell

Halley is the most southerly science research station operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and is located on the 150-metre thick floating Brunt Ice Shelf, which moves 400 metres per annum towards the sea. Snow levels rise by 1 metre every year, and the sun does not rise for 105 days during winter. Temperatures drop to -56˚C and winds blow in excess of 160 kph. Access by ship and plane is limited to a 3-month summer window. A research station has been occupied continuously at Halley since 1957 and in 1985 scientists working there first observed the hole in the ozone layer. Halley V was completed in 1992. Its occupation became precarious, having flowed too far from the mainland to a position at risk of calving as an iceberg. As the station’s legs were fixed in the ice it could not be moved and so in 2004, BAS and the RIBA, organised an international competition to select designers for a new station.

Concept sketch

Concept sketch

Client’s brief

The competition was won by Hugh Broughton Architects and AECOM with a modular design concept, developed to meet the client’s key objectives:

- To be relatively easy to deliver to site, build, operate and ultimately decommission.
- To allow for the replacement of individual facilities without significant interference to the whole station.
- To minimise through-life environmental impact from construction to decommissioning with energy efficiency, reduced water usage and an improved waste management strategy.
- To create an ergonomic home from home to support 16 people in the 9-month austral winter and 52 in the 3-month austral summer within a building which is safe, comfortable and stimulating to live in.
- To provide flexibility to support a 5-yearly science programme in a building with a minimum life of 20 years.
- To be fully relocateable inland when there is risk of the site calving off as an iceberg.
- To minimise snow management and allow the station to climb above the annually rising snow levels.

Competition stage concept view

Competition stage concept view

Cut-away section science module

Cut-away section science module

Environmental and logistic constraints

In tandem with the extraordinary demands of the harshest climate on earth, the construction and operation of the new station has to meet the stringent requirements of the Environmental Protocols of the Antarctic Treaty.

Delivery also posed a significant challenge. As the ice shelf protrudes 20 meters above sea level, all materials have to be unloaded onto fragile sea ice with a maximum bearing capacity of only 9.5-metric tonnes.

They are then dragged on skis and sledges across this and up to the Brunt Ice Shelf on man-made snow ramps created in natural creeks at the cliff-like edge of the ice shelf.

Design, materials and methods of construction

Bedrooms, laboratories, office areas and energy centres are housed in standardised blue modules. A larger two-storey light-filled red module provides the social heart of the station and is used for living, dining and recreation. Inspiring interior design provides an uplifting environment to sustain the crew through the long dark winters, helping to combat the debilitating influence of Seasonal Affected Disorder. Halley VI incorporates medical operating facilities, air traffic control systems and CHP power plants and is a microscopic self-supporting infrastructure-free community.

Isometric view central module

Isometric view central module

The station is arranged in a straight line perpendicular to the prevailing wind so that snow drifts form on the leeward side. This leaves the windward side free from drifts, reducing snow management requirements and creating a hard icy surface across which vehicles can easily move. The base is split in two for life safety. Each half has its own energy centre and is self sustaining in case of emergency. A bridge link allows sharing of power, drainage and water.

Halley VI Plans

Halley VI Plans

The modules are supported on giant steel skis and hydraulically driven legs that allow the station to mechanically ‘climb’ up out of the snow every year. And as the ice shelf moves out towards the ocean, the modules can be lowered and towed by bulldozers further inland, and eventually taken apart when the time comes.

"Ice Station" by Ruth Slavid

"Ice Station" by Ruth Slavid

The modules are constructed with a robust steel structure and clad in highly insulated composite GRP panels. Prefabrication of structure, cladding, rooms and services was maximised within the limitations of the sea ice. Products were sourced from all over the world with the centre of pre-construction activities in South Africa, where full scale trial erection of modules was undertaken prior to shipping to Antarctica by ice-strengthened cargo ship. The modules were erected over three 12-week summer seasons using a factory line approach at Halley V, which was used to support the construction crew. Once they were fully clad, the modules were moved 15 kms inland to the Halley VI site, proving the relocation strategy.

Fit out was completed in the final season and the station opened in February 2013.

If you wish to learn more about the creation of Halley VI, you can purchase Ruth Slavid's Ice Station here.

Legacy

A new era of Australian Antarctic endeavour

News 30 November 2020

A new era of Australian Antarctic endeavour

The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has appointed Hugh Broughton Architects to join a team led by multi-disciplinary consultants WSP to masterplan the modernisation of the infrastructure at Davis research station in East Antarctica. Initial masterplanning is now complete, and masterplan concept development is ongoing.

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Building a Martian House

News 26 October 2020

Building a Martian House

A full-scale house designed for future life on Mars has received planning permission in Bristol. The house is the outcome of an ongoing public art project, ‘Building a Martian House’.

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Digital talk with Hugh Broughton

News 29 April 2020

Digital talk with Hugh Broughton

Want to learn how design can help sustain people living in isolation? The Architecture Centre is hosting a Zoom talk with Hugh Broughton on Thursday 30 April at 7 PM.

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Cool news

News 9 January 2020

Cool news

The 21st century has seen a surge in innovative architecture in the Polar regions – architecture that is not only beautiful but also meets the rising needs of the scientists living and working within the buildings. In the New York Times article “The Coolest Architecture on Earth Is in Antarctica” you can read about some of the leading architectural practices designing research stations for one of the harshest environments on the planet, including Hugh Broughton Architects.

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The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2018

News 14 October 2018

The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2018

Hugh Broughton has made his first appearance in 'The Progress 1000: London's most influential people of 2018', as one of London's most influential visualisers. The list, compiled by The Evening Standard, spans 11 different categories and includes 30 notable architects.

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Back to Antarctica!

News 1 March 2018

Back to Antarctica!

Hugh Broughton Architects working in collaboration with Jasmax has been selected to lead the redevelopment of Scott Base for Antarctica New Zealand on Ross Island.

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Successful relocation of Halley VI

News 7 February 2017

Successful relocation of Halley VI

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has successfully relocated Halley VI Antarctic Research Station to its new home on the Brunt Ice Shelf. 

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Cold Feet

News 24 October 2016

Cold Feet

Hugh Broughton will be speaking at the Alaska Design Forum in Anchorage on October 31st, Fairbanks on November 1st and Juneau on November 2nd - more details at Alaska Design Forum.  He will then provide the keynote address to the AIA Alaska Annual Conference in Fairbanks on November 4th - more details at AIA Website

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HBA success at the American Architecture Prize awards

News 10 October 2016

HBA success at the American Architecture Prize awards

Two of HBA's recent projects have been honoured at the 2016 American Architecture Prize awards.

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Halley VI on show at Constellation.s

News 2 June 2016

Halley VI on show at Constellation.s

Halley VI is on display at Constellation.s, a major exhibition created and organised by arc en rêve centre d'architecture in Bordeaux (France). The exhibition will be open until 25 September 2016. 

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