We’ve said before that modular is an ideal building method when it comes to adding facilities in remote locations. Well, it doesn’t get any more remote than Antarctica. It’s desolate landscape and unforgiving weather make it inhospitable for humans to live and work. Yet, when the British Antarctic Survey (BAC) needed a state-of-the-art research facility to house its team of scientists and researchers at the South Pole, they chose modular for their base of operations. Built off-site and shipped to Antarctica in sections, the assembled Halley VI Research Station allowed the BAC to conduct important research on matters of global, environmental importance.
Halley VI Background
Commissioned in 2006, the Halley VI Research Station took four years to complete and is the world’s first fully relocatable research station. Comprised of eight modules supported by ski-fitted hydraulic legs, Halley VI can be raised and lowered, as well as easily towed to new locations. Individual modules house laboratories, offices, recreation and living quarters, an observation platform, equipment storage, and various other essentials. Best of all, Halley VI’s modular design is nearly impervious to the region’s weather, keeping staff members safe in their research station confines.
Significance of Halley VI
The research conducted at Halley VI is vital to global science. Data generated from the station includes information on ozone depletion, polar atmospheric chemistry, sea-level rise, and climate change. Without the futuristic design and development attributes at the core of Halley VI, little, if any, of this research could be completed. Additionally, the success of Halley VI is proof that modular is ideal for the most remote places on earth.
