CASE STUDY: ANTARCTICA
Tried and true functionality for extreme conditions
Aboa – Finnish research station on Antarctica
The station is located in western Queen Maud Land, on top of Basen nunatak, approximately 450 meters above sea level.
The station was originally built in 1988 and the container elements were shipped to Antarctica in the fall of 2002, as the station was renovated and expanded. In 2015, another extension was built on to the existing Morehouse solution.
Challenging extreme conditions
The conditions in the Antarctica are especially demanding on the buildings and insulation; 10–20 cm of EPS insulation is placed between the wall elements covered with sheet metal. In addition, the powdery snow that can be carried by the wind at up to 40 meters per second can be highly invasive, which means that all structures must be sealed tightly.
Before the station was shipped to the South pole, a trial assembly was carried out in Rautalampi to eliminate the discovery of any unwanted deficiencies on the remote polar glacier where the nearest hardware store is thousands of kilometers away.
Result of long-term planning
Long-term product information management allowed us to the deliver the latest extension to the existing Morehouse solution 13 years later as a fully compatible unit.
Further information: Finnish Meteorological Institute – Antarctica
Photographs: Priit Tisler