Princess Elisabeth Antarctica

Posted on 16.07.2009 • in Projects • Official Website

The finished building on the Utsteinen ridge

The journey began in 2004: the International Polar Foundation, commissioned by the Belgian Federal Government, set out to build a new research station in Antarctica which would become a platform for international polar science.

With the construction phase completed in 2009, a new challenge began: managing and running Princess Elisabeth Station under the framework of the Belgian Polar Secretariat.

Project goals

The project has always had two main objectives:

To stress the importance of polar sciences by establishing a new scientific infrastructure in Antarctica for Belgian and International scientists;
To demonstrate that it is possible to build a “Zero Emission” station in a harsh and remote place such as Antarctica using existing materials and technologies - if it is possible there, it’s certainly possible anywhere else in the world.

The Construction Phase

All activities in Antarctica are subject to the terms of the Antarctic Treaty. To build a station in Antarctica, there is an obligation to comply with the strict environmental regulations of the Madrid Protocol.

The IPF decided to transform these constraints into an opportunity to push the envelope and build the first “Zero Emission” polar station, run entirely on renewable energies. In designing and building the Princess Elisabeth station, the objective was to use existing technologies. These were combined to create a building that is a lot more than the sum of its parts.

Integrating these sustainable and energy saving technologies in such an iconic project was a challenge that appealed to private companies wanting to showcase their products and know-how – and so partnerships were born.

The Princess Elisabeth station is truly an engineering project. The very shape of the station is the result of aerodynamic and energy efficiency studies, not the materialization of an architectural vision. Form truly follows function.

The International Polar Foundation and the Belgian Federal Government were able to capitalize on this enthusiasm to create a unique private / public partnership which made the project possible – and which continues to lead by example with green technologies like smart grids and water management systems.

Actually building the station in Antarctica was an incredible challenge, not only because of the harsh environmental realities and difficult logistics but combining complex technologies into a fully functioning whole. The finished station is a testament to the vision of some and the dedication of hundreds of people.

Running the station

The unique mix of private and public partners continues to exist through the Belgian Polar Secretariat: a public / private management structure overseeing and managing the station.

Scientific study and exploration in Antarctica is that much harder than most other places on the planet – and coordinating the logistics is a complicated task.

Bringing scientists and their equipment to such a remote place, ensuring their security while onsite and taking care of the supplies necessary for long periods of time on the ice are all huge logistical challenges – but ones constantly being met by the IPF.

Material brought by boat must be transported from the coast to the station, some 200 km inland, planes and supply flights must be arranged and an ice runway created and maintained, scientific expeditions in the field must be planned and carried out, vehicles must be repaired, etc.

Princess Elisabeth itself is a living project and is constantly evolving. Technological developments are taking place regularly to improve the energy efficiency of the building or to meet newly identified needs. The smart grid and other components are constantly monitored for engineers to evaluate their efficiency and finetune them. Ambitious new projects like building an electrical polar vehicle are planned and coordinated too.

But throughout science is king and the new technologies and ways of operating all aid and abet the research carried out in Antarctica – leading to a greater understanding of climate change and our world.