Demountable structures

Ilaia
Joint Scientific Polar Station Unión Glacier. Antártica, Chile, 2014

Marcelo Bernal(1), Pol Taylor(2), Francisco Valdivia (3)

Estación Polar Teniente Arturo Parodi EPTAP – Minga polar
© Pol Taylor, Marcelo Bernal & Francisco Valdivia

EPCCGU Joint Scientific Polar Station Unión
© Pol Taylor, Marcelo Bernal & Francisco Valdivia

In 1998 the Chilean Air Force FACH commissioned to design, fabricate and build the Estación Polar Teniente Arturo Parodi (EPTAP) in order to support the operation of the landing runway in blue ice at Patriot Hills, Antarctica. Due to geopolitical issues the station was later abandoned after eight years.In 2013, together with the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), the activities were resumed and a new station dedicated to the research and development of polar technologies was consolidated, near a second ice-landing strip at Unión Glacier. Given the success of EPTAP'Sinsertion, it was then decided to completely recycle the structure, testing the reversibility of its assembly process within a zero-impact logic. The components were transported on sledges and the station was relocated 9 km south, in a process of 14 days and a mission of 20 people.In 2014 we developed a new housing unit for researchers (polar-helmet) and a prototype of its enclosing skin (torsionoid) to receive the cold-dry sanitary system which freezes human residues and eliminates the use of water. The ‘polar-helmet’ internally differentiates an area to sleep in half-light –counteracting the permanent daylight if the polar circle– and another area for work, naturally illuminated by two skylights. The ‘torsionoid’ is a geodesic ellipsoidal structure composed of linear elements made of plywood and compressed by a PVC membrane with no insulation that keeps temperatures below zero. Each panel in the membrane is a paraboloid of double curvature that coincides with the subdivision of the structural pattern, consolidating the geometry when it’s tensed against the anchoring system. These points correspond to excavations in the snow point with no impact on the environment. The structure has a ski on its base that distributes the loads to avoid sinking. 

Cascopolar interior isometric view. N. s.
Legend: 1. Bunk beds 900 × 2000 mm; 2. Compartments for personal items; 3. Insulated floor pack; 4. Access: 700 × 1900 door; 5. Working desks; 6. Shelves

Cascopolar section. Published scale 1: 50
Legend: 1. Outer membrane PVC-PE; 2. Polyester cover with thermal and acoustic insulation 2x85 mm; 3. Marine plywood hull t= 12 mm; 4. Circular acrylic window Ø 800 mm; 5. Roof ventilation Ø 150 mm; 6. Marine plywood t= 18 mm; 7. Expanded polystyrene isolation; 8. Desk; 9. Bunk beds

Torsionoid isometric view. N. s.
Legend: 1. Plywood beams; 2. Metal connector Ø 5"; 3. Removable window; 4. Sky base; 5. Access; 6. Sanitary cubicles.

Toirsionoid section. Published scale 1: 100
Legend: 1. Outer membrane PVC-PE; 2. Plywood beams; 3. Metal connector Ø 5"; 4. Sky base t= 36 mm; 5. Sanitary cubicle.

Joint Scientific Polar Station Unión Glacier plan. Published scale 1: 250.
Legend: 1. Technical tunnel; 2. Sastrugi command and communications room; 3. Torsionoid Hygienic room; 4. Cascopolar bedrooms; 5. Bedrooms in iberglass capsules; 6. Tricolor operating room; 7. Retractable viewfinder access

Estación Polar Teniente Arturo Parodi EPTAP – dismantling
© Pol Taylor, Marcelo Bernal & Francisco Valdivia

Cascopolar fuselage
© Pol Taylor, Marcelo Bernal & Francisco Valdivia

Cascopolar insulation cover
© Pol Taylor, Marcelo Bernal & Francisco Valdivia

Torsionoid structure
© Pol Taylor, Marcelo Bernal & Francisco Valdivia

Torsionoid membrane
© Pol Taylor, Marcelo Bernal & Francisco Valdivia

Ilaia. Yagan word that designates "the south southernmost".
© Pol Taylor, Marcelo Bernal & Francisco Valdivia

Architects: Marcelo Bernal, Pol Taylor, Francisco Valdivia / Contributors: Pablo Barría, Paola Vezzani, Ricardo Jaña —Glaciólogo INACH―, Comandante FACH Miguel Figueroa / Location: Glaciar Unión, Antártica / Commission: Departamento Antártico, Fuerza Aérea de Chile, FACH / Structural design: Francisco Valdivia / Construction and plumbing: ARQZE / Date of project: 2013 / Date of construction: 2014 / Materials: Structure in 12 mm marine plywood, finishing in 12 mm marine plywood and PVC outer membrane / Built area: 16 m² (Cascopolar), 42 m² (Torsionoid) / Cost: US$ 50/ m² (Cascopolar), US$ 12/ m² (Torsionoid).

1. Marcelo Bernal | Architect, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile. PhD candidate in Design Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States. Professor at the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María.

2. Pol Taylor | RIBA architect graduated in Glasgow. He attended the masters program at the Institute of Membranes and Shells (IMS), Dessau, Germany. Cofounder and partner of ARQZE sTudio. He is currently researching on membrane technologies at the SUR.FACE workshop in Valparaiso.

3. Francisco Valdivia | Architect, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile. Archineer master’s candidate in the Institute of Membranes and Shells (IMS), Dessau, Germany. He currently works at the SUR.FACE workshop.