Extreme cold conditions architecture - an Antarctica's shelter prototype

Abstract

Nowadays, when performing expeditions to the most remote places in Antarctica, scientists typically use tents as shelters. These tents, albeit being very portable and easy to assemble, lack the structural stability to withstand the harsh conditions of the Antarctic environment. Therefore, this paper pursues to conceive a novel shelter prototype that, more adequately, protects and lodges the researchers in their scientific missions in this icy continent, all the while maintaining a focus on portability and sustainability. In a first stage, some facts about the Antarctic continent are presented, likewise its significance to Science and our species. Secondly, a mobile base, inspired by a yurt, conceived within the framework of POLAR LODGE (a subproject of the Portuguese Polar Program), is analysed. The paper then focuses on a brief review on aerodynamics, seeking to comprehend the interaction of shapes and air flow, so that the design performance requirements related to strong winds are better understood. Finally, in a second stage, based on the previous researches, two different paradigms of a portable base are exposed and the final prototype is conceived and presented alongside a brief discussion of its constitution, assembly methods, materials and techniques.