In Antarctica, how to “build a house like building a car”?

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of China's polar expedition. Over the past 40 years, under the leadership of the Party, my country's polar cause has grown from nothing to something, from weak to strong. Generations of polar workers have braved the extreme cold, persevered, worked hard, devoted themselves, worked rigorously and realistically, and have achieved fruitful results. Antarctica, the mysterious and remote "ice and snow continent" located at the southernmost tip of the earth, is a "temple" for scientific research. Batches of Chinese scientific expedition athletes have gone to Antarctica. What scientific mysteries do they explore in Antarctica? How do they conduct scientific exploration? What scientific research results have been achieved? What unsolved mysteries are there in Antarctica? Xinhua Interview, in conjunction with the "Sky and Sea" studio of the Shanghai Branch of Xinhua News Agency, launched a series of interviews "Exploring Antarctica" focusing on climate change, ice sheet stability, sea ice melting, astronomical development, animal conditions and other fields in Antarctica.

The research station is the "base camp" for Antarctic scientific research. Building a research station in the "ice and snow continent" far away from human civilization and ravaged by blizzards is a symbol of a country's comprehensive strength. Since the 21st century, with the significant improvement of transportation capacity, construction capacity, mechanical equipment and other scientific and technological capabilities, research stations in various countries around the world mainly choose steel structure assembly and modular construction methods, realizing "building a house like building a car."

This issue of "Exploring Antarctica" features an exclusive interview with Wang Zhongjun, a member of the 30th and 34th Antarctic expedition team and polar construction expert at the China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited Research Institute.

Wang Zhongjun is on China's 30th Antarctic expedition. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Jiansong

Xinhua Interview: What are the special requirements for the construction of Antarctic research stations? How to solve problems such as insulation, fire prevention, and power supply?

Wang Zhongjun : The natural environment in Antarctica is very harsh. When humans arrived in Antarctica, the first problem they encountered was how to gain a foothold. In the early days, Antarctic expeditions used tents, igloos, and wooden houses. In the 21st century, with the improvement of human transportation, construction, and mechanical equipment construction capabilities, the construction of research stations mainly chose steel structure assembly and modular construction methods, and the requirements for building insulation, wind resistance, and fire resistance were extremely high.

How to keep warm: Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth, and research stations generally use double or multi-layer insulation designs. The insulation of my country's Kunlun Station and Qinling Station in Antarctica uses a combination of internal functional modules and external insulation layers. The insulation of the internal functional modules is self-contained, and the external protection encloses the entire building, which is equivalent to wearing a "cotton coat". my country's Antarctic Great Wall Station, Zhongshan Station, and Taishan Station are all built with steel structure assembly. The exterior wall insulation is divided into two layers, the outer layer focuses on insulation and waterproofing, and the inner layer focuses on fire prevention and insulation. The two complement each other. Taishan Station also added a layer of aerogel on the roof.

How to prevent fire: Antarctica is the driest continent on earth. Fire is one of the disasters that causes the most casualties in Antarctica. Fire prevention is extremely important at research stations. Our response measures are: try to choose non-combustible building materials and strictly carry out fire zoning; make rational use of terrain during planning, and divide the buildings into several dispersed groups according to their functions, relevance, and fire hazards. For example, living and scientific research rooms should be arranged on the upwind side of the wind direction with the highest frequency throughout the year; oil tank areas and gas cylinder stations should be arranged on the upwind side of the wind direction with the lowest frequency throughout the year; combustible material warehouses should be arranged on the leeward side of the wind direction with the lowest frequency throughout the year; warehouses for flame-retardant and non-combustible materials should be arranged on the leeward side of the wind direction with the highest frequency throughout the year.

Oil tanks at China's Zhongshan Station in Antarctica. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Jiansong

How to supply power: Antarctic research stations use generators for power supply. The power generation facilities are the "heart" of the research station and must be absolutely safe. At present, my country's Antarctic Great Wall Station and Zhongshan Station have three generators, one for use, one for backup and one for repair. Once there is a failure, the backup generator will automatically start to achieve seamless connection. With the increase of environmental awareness, research stations in various countries are increasing the proportion of green energy. my country's Antarctic Qinling Station will reach 60% of green energy, and after the upgrade and transformation of existing research stations, they will also strive to refer to this standard.

Domestic water: There are three sources of water for Antarctic research stations: lake water, snowmelt and seawater desalination. my country's Kunlun Station and Taishan Station are built on the ice sheet and can only rely on snowmelt for water. The water quality is absolutely first-class. There are small reservoirs near the Great Wall Station and Zhongshan Station, which are used directly after filtering. There is no water source near the Qinling Station, and seawater desalination is used for water supply.

Unmanned: Kunlun Station and Taishan Station are summer stations among my country's five Antarctic research stations. They are unmanned for most of the year, but the detection equipment is continuously working. The power supply is in two forms: battery and generator. The generator is air-cooled to prevent ice formation during shutdown, and can be started remotely.

China's Qinling Station in Antarctica. (Photo courtesy of China Polar Research Center)

Xinhua Interview: What are the characteristics and highlights of the construction of my country's newly built Qinling Station in Antarctica?

Wang Zhongjun : The design concept of China's Antarctic Qinling Station absorbs and adopts the construction experience of new research stations in other countries, and adopts an overhead steel structure assembly and modular combination. In contrast, the overall design and construction of China's Qinling Station have a higher degree of application of digital and assembly technology. When manufacturing domestic steel structures, the principle of digital twin technology was used to perform three-dimensional laser scanning of components and modeling according to actual conditions, and then compared with the theoretical model constructed in the design drawings. The components were adjusted according to the comparison results, and the main structure was actually assembled to verify, providing a precise and reliable platform for the installation of the external protection system.

Xinhua Interview: Please tell us what buildings you participated in building in Antarctica? What was the biggest difficulty during the construction process? How did you overcome it?

Wang Zhongjun : I started to get involved in Antarctic projects when I designed Taishan Station in Antarctica in 2013. At the same time, I designed the protective renovation project of Building 1 of Great Wall Station. That year, I set foot on the longed-for Antarctic continent with the 30th Antarctic Expedition Team and completed the site survey and mapping work of Qinling Station (then called Ross Sea New Station). Since then, I have been obsessed with this pure, mysterious and magnificent holy land.

In the more than ten years since then, I have presided over the design of the Brazilian Antarctic Research Station, the Zhongshan Station Satellite Ground Station and Vehicle Maintenance Depot Project, the Qinling Station Temporary Facilities, the Kunlun Station Renovation, etc. I also designed and manufactured the mobile terminal building of the Antarctic Ice and Snow Airport, the inland team functional cabin, special sleds, etc.

There are three main difficulties in construction in Antarctica, the "Ice Continent":

The first major difficulty is the short construction window. Affected by polar temperatures, ice conditions, and storms, the time left for on-site construction is pitifully short. Kunlun Station is located at the highest point in Antarctica, 1,260 km deep into the ice sheet, and the construction period is only 30 days; Taishan Station is 520 km from the sea, and the construction period is about 45 days; Zhongshan Station and Qinling Station have a construction period of less than two months; Great Wall Station is located in the Subantarctic, the situation is better, and the construction period is close to three months.

The second biggest difficulty is the difficulty in transporting materials. Antarctic construction materials have to be transported by sea for tens of thousands of kilometers, during which time they have to pass through the famous "Devil's Westerly Belt" in the Southern Hemisphere and the unique floating ice area in Antarctica. It takes nearly a month to reach the Antarctic continental ice area. If the sea ice is thick enough, the goods can be unloaded on the sea ice and transported to the shore by sled; otherwise, they have to rely on helicopter lifting. Because the water depth near the shore is insufficient, even if the sea ice melts, the icebreaker cannot dock, and it is necessary to use a shallow-draft barge to transport it multiple times. Kunlun Station and Taishan Station are located in the inland of Antarctica, and a long sled transportation is still required.

The third biggest difficulty was the poor construction conditions on site. Extreme cold in the polar regions, blizzards, lack of oxygen in the plateau, strong ultraviolet radiation, and a shortage of heavy machinery all greatly limited the efficiency of construction.

Antarctic expedition is a symbol of a country's comprehensive strength and a noble cause that will benefit the present and future generations. The construction of each research station in our country is inseparable from the Antarctic expedition team members who fight against the wind and snow, cherish time, and work hard at the southernmost tip of the earth far away from their motherland. The Antarctic spirit of "patriotism, truth-seeking, innovation, and hard work" is the source of strength that inspires us to overcome all difficulties!

Wang Zhongjun, chief architect of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited Research Institute, has participated in two Antarctic scientific expeditions and was awarded the honorary title of “Advanced Individual of the 30th Anniversary of China’s Polar Expeditions”.

Source: Xinhuanet