Framework has engineered flooring and timber panels for the £22m Henry VI research station at its factory in the UK, which is now on its way to the frozen landscape.
However, the timber products, which will make up the floors of the expansive development and the station’s Magnetometer Shaft, a chamber used to measure the earth’s magnetic field, are stopping off in South Africa first, where they will be combined with other parts of the project by architects Faber Maunsell and Hugh Broughton and Morrison Construction, the main contractor.
The team behind the development have opted to bring all of the components of the facility together before shipping it all to the Antarctic, reducing the amount of on-site construction needed.
Timber was chosen as a key material in constructing the Henry VI station as it has the ability to cope with the extreme conditions present in the Antarctic, as well as fitting the architect’s bill for a material that could be easily pre-fabricated prior to shipping to the final location, according to Framework.
Construction is due to commence in December, with the finished research facility handed over to British Antarctic Survey three years later.
