In-Situ: Modular Design In the Arctic
Academic year: Spring 2021
Studio: Arctic Station; In-situ Design
Instructor: Tracy Moir-McClean
Project type: Site research/In-situ design
Project Location: Ellesmere Island, Canada
Studio: Arctic Station; In-situ Design
Instructor: Tracy Moir-McClean
Project type: Site research/In-situ design
Project Location: Ellesmere Island, Canada
This “In-situ” project places you right in the heart of a polar glacial tundra, a place scarcely visited and seen due to its harsh and almost unlivable conditions. Despite the intense and extreme conditions, science is regularly conducted in the Arctic, making a conditioned, multi-use laboratory vital in areas where conditions are too hostile for specialized tents. This polar lab station utilizes modularity as its core functioning element, allowing small segments of the station to be individually placed on a foundation by airlift. Due to the extended time scientists often spend in arctic stations, the design is also intended to be fully self-sufficient in water collection, management, and storage.
This project emphasizes the importance of site to the highest degree. Within the design process, the Arctic itself, weather patterns and extremes, material properties, and existing building codes were all heavily researched and utilized to develop a sense of reality and feasibility within the project’s highly theoretical framework.
This project emphasizes the importance of site to the highest degree. Within the design process, the Arctic itself, weather patterns and extremes, material properties, and existing building codes were all heavily researched and utilized to develop a sense of reality and feasibility within the project’s highly theoretical framework.
