Structural Challenges with a Fiber-Composite Building in Antarctica

The harsh environmental conditions and the remoteness of Antarctica dictate that traditional building form cannot be economically and safely applied to building construction. Limitations such as the shortness of the Antarctic summer construction season, a single annual resupply voyage, and the reduced availability of plants, equipment, and skills all influence the design of any new infrastructure. Over recent years, a new living quarters building has been designed and constructed at Davis station, Antarctica, using a hybrid building technique. This building comprises exterior fiber-composite thermal panels secured to an internal steel frame. The design of the structural steel frame and foundation system was tailored to exploit the inherent panel strength, thus resulting in less material usage and lower transportation and erection costs as well as time savings on site. However, the fiber-composite panels did create their own specific challenges. The use of fiber-composite panels and a steel building frame resulted in considerable variation in thermal expansion and contraction. With the building construction being undertaken at below-freezing temperatures, the steel frame was predicted to increase in size considerably more than the fiber-composite panels as the building was heated to operational temperature. Furthermore, the impact of the tremendous difference in temperature between the inside and outside on external wall cladding meant that material selection required careful consideration. These thermal challenges were among the many issues that needed to be addressed before the new building could be completed. The building has now been operational for the past 5 years and is exceeding original expectations.