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Sustainable Design Strategies
for the Modernization of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
by Joseph J. Ferraro, AIA and William D. Brooks, AIA
2. Sustainable Design
Often referred to as “green” design, sustainable design is a relatively new term that stems from a growing awareness of the negative environmental impacts caused by conventional design and development. In recognition of finite global resources, sustainable designs revolve around a philosophy of developing sites and facilities in ways that minimize or eliminate environmental impacts, thus sustaining resources indefinitely. Sustainable designs typically incorporate strategies such as energy efficiency, improving indoor environmental quality, the use of renewable materials and sources of energy, recycling, and conservation of water and natural habitats. Of all the strategies that are employed, energy efficiency can have the most significant effect on reducing environmental impact, and is therefore often given the highest priority.
A universal characteristic of projects that are energy efficient is that no two designs are alike. The reason for this diversity is that buildings must incorporate a passively designed architectural envelope that responds to the climatic conditions specific to a site to be truly energy efficient.
Sustainable development in cold regions is no exception. A building design that is ideal for an Alaskan winter may not be ideal for conditions in Antarctica. Similarly, a building designed to respond to climatic conditions on the coast of Antarctica will have little in common with one designed for the polar plateau.
A second priority of sustainable design is to provide a superior quality indoor environment for building occupants. This is accomplished by providing appropriate ventilation and controls, selecting materials and finishes that minimize or eliminate the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC), and the introduction of daylight and views to the outdoors. All of these strategies diminish the probability of a “sick building” and are common in well-designed sustainable facilities. The relative importance of indoor environmental quality increases with the amount of time occupants must spend inside.
In Antarctica, where winter-over personnel must spend seven months indoors during the Austral winter, providing a high quality indoor environment is paramount. Because the winter environment precludes outdoor activity, it is probably more analogous to think of Amundsen-Scott in terms of a large space station or ship at sea, than to consider it a conventional building.
Proceed to next section: 3. Construction History at Amundsen-Scott Station
Table of Contents
1. Abstract
2. Sustainable Design
3. Construction History at Amundsen-Scott Station
4. Sustainable Design Goals
5. Minimizing Impacts to the South Pole Research Environment
6. Ensuring a Station Useful Life of 25 Years or More
7. Energy Efficiency
8. Indoor Environmental Quality
9. Conclusion
10. References
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