Extreme environments in Polar Regions share similar facilities and operations, design and planning challenges: extreme cold temperatures, structural problems, high standards for materials, resources limitations, transportation and logistics.
Environmental hardships create challenges that reflect on sets of architectural requirements
Some Vernacular Practices Include :
1. Igloo :
Igloo, is a winter dwelling made of snow.Historically, Inuit across the Arctic lived in igloos before the introduction of modern, European-style homes.Igloos also retain practical value: some hunters and those seeking emergency shelter still use them.
2. Goahti :
A Goahti is a Sami (indigenous Scandinavians) hut or tent of three types of covering: fabric, peat moss or timber.The structure is covered with birch bark then peat to provide a durable, water-tight and heat-keeping construction.
Contemporary inventions :
1. Bharati Research Center :
India’s Bharati Research Center (the country’s third Antarctic station) is made from 136 prefab containers, but you wouldn’t know from looking. The station’s designed to keep a minimal carbon footprint and is wrapped in an aluminium case to protect against wind and cold.
2. Princess Elisabeth Research Station :
The Princess Elisabeth Research Station, built in 2009, is notable for being crazy green: it’s the first zero-emissions Antarctic research station, running solely on wind and solar power.
Passive architecture–designed to take advantage of the environment to minimize heat loss–it doesn’t require any internal heating.
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