9 November, 2024 AIMP, News stories

Welcome to our second Postcard from Rothera Research Station, giving you an update on progress as we modernise our largest station in Antarctica.

Start of Summer

The recent arrival of the Dash7 and Twin Otter aircraft marks the start of a new season at Rothera. The first of the summer teams are ready to tackle the main focus of the season which is to get the new Discovery Building ready for handover.  The wintering team, will be enjoying the return of the sun after months of darkness, and days getting longer.

Winter work in numbers

  • 3 x snow clearing vehicles (A 36 tonne excavator, 49 tonne excavator and articulated dump truck) All now ‘de-winterised’ meaning they are up and running again, ready for use on site.
  • 51 team members on station before the first of the winter team leave Rothera.
  • Approximately several thousand tonnes of snow clearing in preparation for the season ahead. The focus is on clearing snow from the runway and workshop spaces; these areas are cleared first. This is because roads and access to the workshops are needed so vehicles can be maintained. It takes time to mobilise the large vehicles which are parked nearby. Our construction partner BAM’s large vehicles can clear snow faster than our vehicles!
  • 3-4 days to clear the runway of snow.
  • 600kg of ‘freshies’ brought in by aircraft (fresh fruit and vegetables)
  • 130 new doors have been hung internally, and most of the building’s joinery has been completed.

Progress

The team have been busy painting the rooms and installing the fire-alarms, lighting and the building management system in our new two-storey building.  The ground floor walls are ready for painting before they start on the first floor.

Plumbers, decorators and other trades are arriving for the summer season, ready for the handover in April 2025.

Did you know?

All areas of the building can be climate controlled, so the internal environment is stable. The thicker external walls warm the building and keep heat inside. Insulated panels are used as a blanket to help prevent cold air getting in.

The runway at Rothera was resurfaced earlier this year and the Rothera Runway Resurfacing and Lighting Project recently won a national award.

A runway surrounded by snow
The resurfaced runway at Rothera Research Station with the new blue Discovery Building in the background

Winter’s end:

Amid busy days on site, the team has taken advantage of some fair weather, enjoying opportunities for wildlife spotting on the sea ice. They saw baby Weddell seals and elephant seals and were lucky enough to witness a display of the Aurora too!

To mark the end of winter, the team celebrated with a meal featuring game meat pie, chocolate mousse, some of the “freshies” and a lovely fresh latte coffee.  Working in Antarctica is so isolated, making freshies particularly special. You can’t make a trip to the market to pick up local or fresh ingredients!

The work is part of the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme (AIMP). This forms part of the British Government’s long-term investment in the Polar Regions. The programme is delivered in partnership with construction partners BAM, Ramboll, Sweco, GA Barnies and Hugh Broughton Architects.