{"id":692591,"date":"2026-05-25T12:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/692591\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T12:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:26:13","slug":"hugh-broughton-building-architectures-last-frontier-antarctica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/692591\/","title":{"rendered":"Hugh Broughton: Building architecture\u2019s last frontier, Antarctica"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/p>\n

Hugh Broughton has designed more Antarctic research stations than any other living architect, shaping the continent’s prevailing architectural style.
\n His space-age aesthetic features rounded corners, vibrant colors and pod-like forms built to withstand extreme polar conditions.
\n Broughton’s latest project is the Discovery Building, a 48,000-square-foot research facility.<\/p>\n

\n AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.<\/p>\n

\n Few living architects can claim, in good faith, to have shaped the character of a whole neighborhood, let alone a city or country. Yet, on a landmass around 40% larger than Europe, one man has exerted an outsize influence on the architecture of an entire continent.\n <\/p>\n

\n Antarctica is home to over 70 permanent research stations \u2014 and 61-year-old Hugh Broughton has worked on more of them than anyone else. His eponymous firm has designed scientific facilities for the UK and Spain, developed proposals for South Korea, India and Brazil, and worked with Australia and New Zealand to redevelop their polar bases. His distinctly space-age aesthetic, born of necessity in one of the world\u2019s most unforgiving environments, is now arguably the continent\u2019s prevailing architectural style.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI think our coverage of Antarctica is pretty good \u2014 certainly more than anyone else in the world,\u201d said Broughton in his 16-person London office, almost 10,000 miles from the South Pole, before modestly caveating the claim: \u201cYou could call us the continent\u2019s most prolific architects. But I don\u2019t think it would make my head swell too much, because there\u2019s probably only two or three others in the game.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n His buildings\u2019 distinctive rounded corners, vibrant colors and pod-like forms are pragmatic responses to the challenges of building in extreme climates. Broughton nonetheless wears his sci-fi influences proudly. \u201cWe do spend time looking at screen grabs from \u2018Star Wars\u2019 and \u2018Thunderbirds,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cWe like space design in this office, and I dare say a little bit of it creeps into the design of these buildings.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cBut once we get to the interiors,\u201d he added, \u201cI actually think our response could be defined as vaguely classical.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Broughton said his unusual specialty transpired \u201cpurely by chance\u201d after he heard a radio segment about a competition to design a research station on Antarctica\u2019s Brunt Ice Shelf in 2004. The architect\u2019s colleagues \u2014 in his then-four-person firm \u2014 encouraged him to attend the briefing, because \u201cA, they\u2019ll give everybody croissants, and B, there\u2019ll be some great pictures of penguins,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI wasn\u2019t up to anything else that morning, so I thought, \u2018I\u2019ll go along.\u2019\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Many of British architecture\u2019s big names were also in attendance. But Broughton\u2019s relative inexperience proved less of a hindrance than he initially feared \u2014 because none of them had worked in Antarctica, either. \u201cI came out of the presentation buzzing,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"Maximizing<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n The architect\u2019s groundbreaking competition entry would eventually become the Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station, a series of elevated modules joined via insulated connectors that resemble the bellows of an accordion. The facility stands on hydraulic legs-on-skis that mechanically \u201cclimb\u201d through the ever-rising snow. Constructed on what Broughton described \u2014 with characteristic British understatement \u2014 as \u201ca very dynamic environment\u201d (the Brunt Ice Shelf is currently moving toward the sea at a rate of around 13 feet a day)<\/a>, the entire station can be towed inland if cracks threaten to cut it adrift. This is precisely what happened in 2017, when Halley VI was relocated 14 miles away to escape a huge rupture in the ice shelf, dubbed the \u201cHalloween Crack,\u201d that risked leaving the station afloat on an iceberg.\n <\/p>\n

\n In the two decades since the project\u2019s completion, Broughton has become the go-to architect for polar design. He also used his experience as a springboard to other extreme locations, including one of the world\u2019s most remote inhabited islands, Tristan da Cunha, which can only be reached via a six-day boat trip from South Africa. The ferry service is so infrequent that the architect struggled to secure a spot. \u201cThe islanders have priority, and they\u2019re always wanting to come over and see the dentist or the doctor or something.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Broughton\u2019s latest Antarctica project is his largest to date: The Discovery Building, a 48,000-square-foot facility at the Rothera Research Station, the capital of the British Antarctic Territory. The two-story structure contains workshops, medical facilities and preparation areas for field expeditions, as well as a control tower for the air and marine operations. Yet, despite the project\u2019s many technical achievements, Broughton appears most enthusiastic about its bright, light-filled living areas.\n <\/p>\n

\"Officially<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n Antarctic design has historically been led by engineers. Whether the stations were pleasant to inhabit for long periods was often an afterthought. As a result, Broughton said, interiors \u201clacked any inspiration and could really wear down residents quite quickly.\u201d Now, finally, architects are being asked to address the human experience of living in extreme isolation.\n <\/p>\n

\n Broughton thinks deeply about his occupants, some of whom may be stationed in his facilities for two years or more. He considers the relationship between private and public spaces, and how interior layouts encourage encounters between colleagues; he studies color theory, lighting design and the psychological properties of different materials \u2014 including what they smell like. (Broughton believes the natural aroma of Lebanese cedar, for instance, can mitigate the effect of sensory deprivation in an isolated research station.)\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThere\u2019s no way you\u2019re going to ever move an elephant seal. And they only have partial sight, so they can come right up to your building and damage the facade.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Hugh Broughton, architect\n <\/p>\n

\n The size and placement of windows is particularly important. They are also a matter of compromise: Walls trap heat more efficiently than glass, so in Earth\u2019s coldest region, natural light comes with an energy cost.\n <\/p>\n

\n At the Discovery Building, this meant carefully placed skylights and triple-glazing. Broughton has even looked to space travel for inspiration: At Halley VI, he used aerogels \u2014 transparent insulators pioneered by NASA and comprised mainly of gas \u2014 that can be trapped in window glazing to maximize sunlight while reducing heat loss. \u201cAnything that gives you a little bit more vitamin D, a little bit more natural light, is going to be really good for your mental wellbeing,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n The history of Antarctic buildings is, in Broughton\u2019s words, \u201cvery short.\u201d Architecture didn\u2019t even arrive until 1899, when Norwegian explorer Carsten Borchgrevink completed the continent\u2019s first ever buildings \u2014 two timber huts; one for living, one for storage \u2014 as part of an early British-financed expedition. The 18-by-21-foot structures, which were essentially kit homes made from prefabricated pinewood, are still standing today.\n <\/p>\n

\n Technologically, much has changed in the intervening decades. Modern polar facilities are almost entirely self-sufficient in terms of power generation, heating and circular wastewater systems; Broughton\u2019s walls are typically made from fiberglass panels packed with thick \u201cclosed cell\u201d foam insulation, with tiny air pockets protecting them from moisture. But the key building principles remain much the same as in Borchgrevink\u2019s day: prefabricate as much as you can, deliver the components as close to the site as you can, and assemble them as quickly as you can \u2014 ideally within an Antarctic summer, which runs from around November to March.\n <\/p>\n

\n Broughton\u2019s buildings may have no neighbors, but he disputes the idea that Antarctica is some kind of architectural tabula rasa. His designs are intended to be subtle, understated and able to \u201csit gently and comfortably\u201d in their surroundings. And while not subject to the same building codes as a city, Antarctica\u2019s architects are usually governed by the planning rules of whichever country has commissioned them. Moreover, all Broughton\u2019s plans need to be approved at an annual meeting of the Antarctic Treaty\u2019s signatories, requiring comprehensive environmental impact studies.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cPeople are sometimes surprised when we talk about design constraints in the Antarctic, imagining that you\u2019ve got a blank sheet of paper \u2014 a white site \u2014 and you can do what you like, but the reality is very far from that,\u201d Broughton said.\n <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n Alongwith extreme weather conditions, animal encounters present an occupational hazard. While working on Spain\u2019s Juan Carlos 1 base, Broughton faced \u201ca real issue\u201d with fur seals. \u201cThey would lie on the fuel lines, and they\u2019d lie across the doors, so it was hard to get in,\u201d he said. Elephant seals pose an even greater threat: \u201cThere\u2019s no way you\u2019re going to ever move an elephant seal,\u201d the architect said. \u201cAnd they only have partial sight, so they can come right up to your building and damage the facade.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n A perimeter railing packed with plywood is usually enough to keep elephant seals at bay. The real design challenge, however, is protecting animals from buildings, not vice versa. Broughton\u2019s use of bright exterior paints was partly informed by conversations with marine biologists who were concerned that seabirds, such as petrels, might become confused by \u2014 or even accidentally strike \u2014 white- or gray-colored buildings. Too much red, meanwhile, risks disorienting penguins, whose eyes can\u2019t perceive it (likely because red light does not deeply penetrate the ocean, which is their primary hunting environment). \u201cYou don\u2019t want too many red buildings if you\u2019ve got loads of penguins around,\u201d Broughton warned.\n <\/p>\n

\n A somewhat more prosaic, though no less pressing, challenge is snow drifts. In Antarctica, miscalculating the position of your building may see it buried within a single harsh winter. One of Boughton\u2019s cardinal rules is one of orientation: angle the building\u2019s shortest face toward the prevailing wind. At the Discovery Building, however, this wasn\u2019t possible, so Broughton instead designed a huge wind deflector that channels gusts over the roof before deflecting them down the facade, pushing snow away from the building\u2019s base. Curved roof eaves meanwhile prevent eddies \u2014 swirling pockets of air \u2014 from producing more localized snow drifts.\n <\/p>\n

\n Geopolitical tensions are simmering in the world\u2019s polar regions. With its untapped natural resources and lucrative shipping lanes, the Arctic north is a more likely flashpoint than remote Antarctica (look no further than recent friction between Europe and the Trump administration over Greenland, where, in friendlier times, Broughton was commissioned to co-design a research station for the US National Science Foundation). But the world\u2019s southernmost continent appears destined for a more tumultuous 21st century, too.\n <\/p>\n

\"Broughton<\/p>\n

\n Seven sovereign states (Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the UK) have established territorial claims, which extend from the South Pole like slices of a pie. Though these borders sometimes overlap, the Antarctic Treaty, signed in Washington in 1959, has kept the peace by prohibiting military \u2014 or indeed any non-scientific \u2014 presence on the continent. The mood has shifted, however, in the two decades that Broughton has been working in the region.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe see some countries doing more development than others, at greater speed,\u201d the architect said diplomatically. Other unnamed nations have meanwhile been \u201cthinking more about their presence as much as they are thinking about scientific research.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a kind of architectural language evolving in Antarctica.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Hugh Broughton, architect\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t used to talk about (geopolitics) when we first started,\u201d he added. \u201cNow, pretty much all the time it gets mentioned \u2014 the significance of \u2018presence,\u2019 or being there. We now often refer to these research stations as being like embassies on the ice.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n That ice, which covers around 98% of the continent\u2019s landmass, is melting at an unprecedented rate. American, Russian and Chinese activity in the region is growing. A ban on mining, agreed in the 1990s, is scheduled for review in 2048, which could open the door to a new era of resource competition and great power rivalry. These developments, though worrying, should be promising for an architect with Broughton\u2019s skillset, though he relishes the current \u201cvery collaborative environment,\u201d a direct result of the continent\u2019s historical depoliticization.\n <\/p>\n

\"Broughton<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe all talk to each other; we share ideas,\u201d he said of his relationship with other arhitects and designers working there. \u201cI don\u2019t feel it\u2019s competitive. It\u2019s mutually supportive, which is a characteristic of people working in Antarctica, generally.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n It is easy to imagine a future \u2014 a much warmer one \u2014 in which Antarctica is far more inhabited than it is today. (At present, the summer population is an estimated 5,000 people, while it drops to around 1,000 in the winter, depending on the year.) So, centuries into the future, might Broughton\u2019s designs serve as early architectural reference points? Could his research stations be icons of antiquity, like the Parthenon or Rome\u2019s Colosseum are to Europe, that inform architects to come?\n <\/p>\n

\n He modestly sidesteps this grandiose suggestion while acknowledging that his influence is discernable across the region. It is, he added, \u201csometimes nice\u201d to see his design solutions \u201cstray into other stations that we haven\u2019t been involved in.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a kind of architectural language evolving in Antarctica.\u201d\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary Hugh Broughton has designed more Antarctic research stations than any other living architect, shaping the continent’s prevailing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":692592,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":["post-692591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/692592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}