ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

Transforming ‘Leviathan’ Antarctic Research Facility is Out of This World

by Inhabitat Staff

Studio Hadid Vienna architecture student Sergiu-Radu Pop designed this leviathan-like building to serve as a multi-use research and transportation hub in Antarctica. The structure is nestled into the icy cliffs of the continent and seems to draw from Zaha Hadid’s notoriously flamboyant yacht designs. Besides research spaces, the building would offer temporary and permanent accommodation for adventure-loving visitors.

The flowing form mimics the edges of the ice formations along the coastline and allows ships to reach its hidden docks. A curved glass tower extends upwards from a mainly horizontal volume, and the sprawling research center is complemented with exhibition halls, recreational spaces, conference rooms, observation decks and transportation stations.

The Antarctic Research Facility is meant to provide optimal environmental conditions and a shelter from the continent’s unpredictable weather since the building can transform to adapt to varying temperatures and icy surroundings. Huge steel tentacles cover the decks and blend into the terrain.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)