Not so long ago, Wired Magazine presented a review on Antarctic bases, some of which we picked up on here. The Halley VI base was part of the review, about which we were able to read at that time:

Researchers have occupied this site continuously for 54 years, creating an invaluable scientific record. (The man-made hole in the ozone was first identified here, so the coordinates are crucial in tracking the state of the atmosphere.) But staying put is not easy. The Brunt Ice Shelf moves as much as half a mile a year, like a conveyor belt built to toss tea-drinking scientists into the icy sea. So the old station is being abandoned as it moves toward the abyss. This new base, however, is more like an RV than an A-frame: Several ski-shod pods get towed back to their original positions as the ice shelf moves.

Today we found more information in an article published at the Architectural Review that sparked our curiousity even further. The history of the Halley base is long, starting in 1956, when the first Halley was constructed, containing a mix of building technologies. Three buildings were located on platforms on steel legs, which have been jacked up annually to keep them clear of the accumulated snowfall. An accommodation building and a garage weighing over 50 tons are mounted on skis and towed each year to a new position. Halley I to Halley IV were built directly on the snow and were each abandoned within ten years, having been crushed by the overlying ice.

Halley I in 1964. British Antartic Survey

Halley IV. British Antartic Survey

Halley V in 1964. British Antartic Survey

As we can see in the images above, there have been five Halley bases built so far. The first four were all buried by snow accumulation and crushed until they were uninhabitable. Various construction methods were tried, from unprotected wooden huts to steel tunnels. Halley V has the main buildings built on steel platforms that are raised annually to keep them above the snow surface.

A design competition was launched by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the British Antarctic Survey in June 2004 to provide a new design for Halley VI. The competition was entered by a number of architectural and engineering firms. In July 2005 the winning design was chosen, by Faber Maunsell and Hugh Broughton Architects. It is a structure which is, like Halley V, jacked up on legs to keep it above the accumulation of snow. But unlike Halley V, there are skis on the bottom of these legs, which allows the building to be relocated periodically.

At Hugh Broughton Architects website we can read:

Our international competition winning design for the self-sufficient scientific research base is now on site on a floating ice shelf 900 miles from South Pole. Hydraulically elevated ski based modules respond to annually rising snow levels and the need to relocate the base if the site calves off as an iceberg. A special central module provides a dramatic open plan social area at the heart of the station.

Halley VI by Hugh Broughton Architects

Halley VI by Hugh Broughton Architects

But why build a new Halley? We found out that Halley is the most southerly research station operated by the British Antarctic Survey and is located 10,000 miles from the UK on the 150-metre thick floating Brunt Ice Shelf, which moves 400 metres per annum towards the sea. Snow levels rise by over 1 metre every year and the sun does not rise above the horizon for 105 days during winter. To avoid dangers of ice breaking, the station has been divided into eight individual modules, which are connected by short, flexible corridors. The modules are kept above the snow surface using hydraulic legs mounted on skis.

Halley VI by Hugh Broughton Architects

Halley VI by Hugh Broughton Architects

In October 2009, the big red central module for the Halley VI Project was completed. Even though the modules will not be towed to the Halley VI site until Nov/Dec 2011 work will commence this season to start compacting the haul route from Halley V to Halley VI, a distance of about 15km.

For updates about the rest of the project, you can follow the British Antartic Survey website