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Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station Rear View

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National Science Foundation
AMUNDSEN-SCOTT SOUTH POLE STATION
Antarctica

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is a premier sustainable design project designed by the Ferraro Choi A/E team from 1992-99. An integrated engineering and architectural approach to programming and design over a seven-year period contributed to making this project a unique international model for environmentally respectful design. Due to the project's unique location and its mission of providing an environmentally benign human presence on the pristine polar plateau, sustainable design was paramount in every design decision.

Sustainable Design Strategies:

  1. All heating is provided by jacket cooling and exhaust gas heat exchangers at the primary diesel power plant.
  2. Alternative energy systems use wind and solar power providing up to 14% of the station's power requirements.
  3. Good indoor air quality is ensured by specification of low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, adhesives, caulking compounds, and insulation.
  4. All water is derived from the surrounding ice field and strictly rationed.
  5. Existing buildings were dismantled and reconstructed to reduce retrograde and waste generation.
  6. New buildings are sited to dramatically reduce snow plowing, which had accounted for a major portion of the station's fuel usage.
  7. All building systems were designed to reduce waste in the shipping and construction process.
  8. All waste materials are processed and returned to the continental U.S for disposal.
  9. To double its useful life, the building can be raised above the snow surface as required with a unique jackable column system.
  10. Specifications preclude environmental destructive materials as described by the Antarctic Treaty.
Refer also to our Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station CASE STUDY.

Return to SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE or PROJECT PORTFOLIO.

For more information, please visit:
arrow "Aloha in Antarctica" by Clay Dillow, FastCompany.com
arrow "NSF Dedicates New South Pole Station" by the National Science Foundation
arrow "NSF in the Antarctic," by the National Science Foundation
arrow A Special Report on the South Pole Station, by the National Science Foundation
arrow "Antarctic Architecture," by Maijinn Chen at www.architecureweek.com
arrow Cutaway animation of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, by the National Science Foundation
arrow Video of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, by Cliff Braverman and Peter West of the National Science Foundation
arrow PDC, Inc. Consulting Engineers
arrow U.S. Antarctic Program, National Science Foundation

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"Cooking at the End of the World" by Michele Gentille, The Wall Street Journal

FERRARO CHOI AND ASSOCIATES
Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Research
733 BISHOP STREET, SUITE 2620
HONOLULU, HI 96813-4016
TEL: (808) 533-8880
FAX: (808) 599-3769
EMAIL: info@ferrarochoi.com
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LAST UPDATED: 04.15.2008