Buildings traditionally anchored in permafrost are now mounted on steel pilings driven 10 to 15 meters through the permafrost to the bedrock beneath. This is to better represent the range of community needs and lifestyle factors of those in the North, as more designers and builders are honing in on how Arctic architecture can be made truly sustainable while withstanding the climatic extremes of the North. The analysis highlights the benefits and critical issues of Green Buildings located in the Arctic compared with conventional buildings, focusing on environmental, economic, and social dimensions.
In the Arctic, construction can lead to exceptionally high energy consumption as building materials are often transported over long distances and harsh environmental conditions. By applying double-log and frame-based construction technologies, different insulation materials, and 250 temperature and humidity sensors, project researchers look forward to finding the best solution. Innovation in this area has led to the use of driftwood, sea mammal bone, turfs, and snow as construction materials.
Architecture has played a subtle yet forceful role in transforming the Canadian Arctic, becoming the most legible tool of “internal colonialism” during the region’s dramatic transformation. Scientists are developing new industrial materials that will make construction in the Arctic more affordable and simpler. Traditional materials such as reinforced concrete and steel cause unacceptably high resource consumption throughout the entire technological chain.
Snow and ice are pure natural materials of the Arctic area, and buildings are raised and have only few points of contact with the ground. Sloping walls and roofs minimize contact with ice and snow. Virginia Walker (Biology) and her research team have revealed how common additives in building materials (nanoparticles) could potentially disrupt populations of animals.
📹 Turns forsaken WW2 bunker into perfect Arctic underground cabin
After discovering an abandoned World War II bunker while on a hike in northern Norway, Henrik Lande Andersen spent two years …
Are there any buildings in the Arctic?
Governments maintain permanent research stations in the Arctic, also known as Arctic bases, polar stations, or ice stations, which are widely distributed across the northern polar region of Earth. Historically, few research stations have been permanent, with most being temporary or abandoned after project completion or lack of funding. Some were military or listening posts created due to the proximity of the U. S.
And Soviet Union to each other’s landmasses across the polar region. Ice stations are constructed on land or ice that rests on land, while others are drifting ice stations built on the sea ice of the high latitudes of the Arctic Ocean.
What building materials are used in polar regions?
Igloos are domed shelters made from snow blocks, originating from the Inuit word “iglu”, meaning house. These shelters were used due to the nomadic lifestyle of the Inuit, who could build new igloos every time they changed locations. Due to the scarcity of other building materials, snow was the most common material. Igloos were built quickly, with experienced builders able to build one in under an hour. They are built in a spiral from the inside, with the igloo builder building themselves into the igloo and then cutting out the door.
Heat from a small fire or body heat from the inhabitants warms the igloo, causing the inside to melt slightly. The inside then refreezes when the inhabitants step out, creating an ice layer that adds to the igloo’s strength. A completed igloo can hold a person due to the insulating properties of snow, keeping inside temperatures between -7°C and 16°C while outside temperatures can drop to -45°C. Igloos also have a small ventilation hole or holes cut into their roof to allow carbon dioxide to escape.
Is there metal in the Arctic?
The Arctic holds significant amounts of minerals, including phosphate, bauxite, iron ore, copper, nickel, and diamond, which are used in industrialized economies. Russia produces an average of 11 million tons of phosphates, 8 of the global output. The Arctic also contains significant amounts of minerals, boreal forests, marine life, and fresh water. The United States Geological Survey estimates that 22% of the world’s oil and natural gas could be located beneath the Arctic.
Russia’s undiscovered petroleum is estimated between 67 billion tons of oil equivalent (BTOE) and 142 BTOE. Russia’s vast energy resources account for 52 of the Arctic totals, while Norway’s accounts for 12. As of 2013, Russia exported 88 of crude oil via pipelines, with a large majority of natural gas also transported through pipelines. The second largest customer for oil is China, while for natural gas, Japan is the second largest. Russia continues to expand its pipeline networks and seaborne capacity, with absolute maritime transportation of petroleum growing but remaining a small portion of overall exports.
Can you build in the Arctic?
It is possible to construct temporary unheated structures on sill plates bolted to a gravel pad over permafrost. Alternatively, heated structures can be erected on platforms attached to sills, which allows air to circulate beneath them. Long steel pins are utilized to affix the structure to the sill.
Are bricks good for cold climates?
Brick is a durable building material that offers warmth, wind protection, weather resistance, fireproofness, and pest resistance. Its excellent thermal mass contributes to its durability. If you believe you have been blocked, contact the site owner for assistance. If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges, enter your email address and click “Send” to regain access. This will help you regain your access to the site.
What are houses in the Arctic made of?
Igloos, often associated with all Inuit, were traditionally used only by the people of Canada’s Central Arctic and the Qaanaaq area of Greenland. Other Inuit used snow to insulate their houses, which were constructed from whalebone and hides. Snow is used because of its air pockets, which make it an insulator. In the Inuit languages, the word iglu can be used for a house or home built of any material, including traditional tents, sod houses, driftwood homes, and modern buildings. Outside Inuit culture, igloo refers exclusively to shelters constructed from blocks of compacted snow, generally in the form of a dome.
Can you build things in Antarctica?
Antarctica is a unique location where building materials are difficult to find due to the absence of trees, wood, suitable rock, and time constraints. Building must be completed quickly to allow supply ships to leave before freezing. The builders are primarily summer-only personnel, and winds and storms can disrupt plans even during the warmer, calmer summer months. Therefore, Antarctica’s construction methods are not easily accessible.
What are the building materials in the Arctic?
Snow and ice are natural Arctic materials suitable for building structures due to their crystal structure and density. The material properties of snow and ice are chosen by structural engineers based on factors such as temperature, snow quality, and structure load. These properties must be considered in calculations and construction to ensure structural safety against breakage, falling over, and deformation.
Ice has a unique crystal structure that does not remain constant under loading or thawing. Its properties change according to its temperature, with its weakest at 0°C and increasing as the temperature rises. As the temperature of ice rises, its strength decreases, and its modulus of elasticity, shear modulus, and creep strain increase. Therefore, the structural safety of snow and ice structures should be considered during the planning process.
Why are Arctic houses so colorful?
The color coordination was used to distinguish between houses and create a system in a time before street names and house numbers. The journey began in Reykjavik with a luxurious Mercedes minibus equipped with a panoramic roof. We arrived at Kulusuk and boarded our ship, where our guides, Nilla and Henry, prepared a delicious three-course dinner and a glass of champagne. The day ended with a colorful sunset.
We navigated around the southern side of Ammassalik Island and entered the magnificent Sermilik Fjord. In the afternoon, we landed in Johan Petersen Fjord, where we enjoyed a fantastic hike with stranded icebergs scattered along the shoreline. Captain Kim took us on a magical journey deep into Johan Petersen Fjord, where we anchored for the night.
The day began with a spectacular view of the mighty glacier front, surrounded by icebergs of all sizes. After breakfast, we set off on a challenging hike to the top of Immikkeertiajik, where we enjoyed a panoramic view of the glacier. After lunch, we continued sailing further north into the Sermilik Fjord and anchored for the night in the midst of a world of icebergs.
Are there ice sheets in polar regions?
An ice sheet is a mass of glacial land ice that extends over 50, 000 square kilometers and can cover underlying canyons and mountain ranges. During the last ice age, ice sheets covered North America and Scandinavia. Earth currently has two ice sheets: one covering most of Greenland, the largest island in the world, and the other across the Antarctic continent. The Antarctic Ice Sheet covers 14 million square kilometers, 5. 4 million square miles, and contains about 30 million cubic kilometers of ice.
The Greenland Ice Sheet contains about 2. 9 million cubic kilometers, and the Greenland Ice Sheet covers 1. 7 million square kilometers, covering 80 percent of the world’s largest island. Ice caps are miniature ice sheets that cover less than 50, 000 square kilometers and consist of several merged glaciers. They spread out in dome-like shapes, similar to ice sheets.
What building material is used in cold climate?
Cold climate homes should use durable materials like concrete, brick, and steel to withstand harsh weather conditions. High thermal mass materials like concrete or masonry can stabilize indoor temperatures and reduce heating costs. Triple-glazed windows offer superior insulation, prevent heat loss, and reduce energy consumption, making them ideal for cold climate homes. These materials can store heat during the day and release it slowly at night.
📹 Why Russia Is Rapidly Building Military Bases In The Arctic
Russia’s Insane Plan To Steal The Arctic Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/oliverbahl Follow me on Twitter: …
Northern Norway is where the Nazis were making heavy water (deuterium). It was a huge target for the allied forces. They sunk ships in what they thought was an impenetrable fighting force, and they successfully attacked the factory in a covert attack by Norwegians who were badasses and used to the frozen tundra. It was pivotal in turning the war against what had been huge Nazi wins all over Europe. This place he’s made is fantastically done. He may not have the same degrees as his sister, but he’s a natural problem solver and innovator. The way he has collaborated with people around the world to share this space is practically unheard of. What an amazing young man and a truly spectacular project!
What a awesomely resourceful, humble and creative young man who just wants to share with others what he has made. Henrik it is an honor to witness your efforts. And thanks so much Kirsten and Nicholas for another amazing blog!! In the late 70’s I visited Alesund, Norway while in the US Navy and saw a number of those old WWII bunkers in the mountains above that city, but the views from your location are more spectacular( not to take anything away from Alesund!) Thanks again and warmest wishes for even more contentment and joy in your lives.
Wonderful. I did a lot of youth hosteling and camping in the late 60’s and 70’s. Same principles…take what you need, leave what you can; leave nothing but footprints; clean up after yourself; pack out your trash, etc. I’m wondering how they manage it when there are more people than beds? Is there some type of reservation system? Probably not. What a nice contribution Henrik has made to society.
Brilliant guy. Thanks for this! “A human being is a part of the whole, called by us ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ― Albert Einstein
What a wonderful nest perched above the fjord. It’s just inaccessible enough to make it a great getaway spot, but I would absolutely hate trying to climb up and down during the Wintertime with all the snow. Due is seriously laid back and he seems to have found the sweet spot in being able to do just what is necessary and not go overboard making it more accessible or spending too much money; great use of salvaged materials.
there are mountain huts all over the world set up like this, get books included. you can climb mountains and find a canister at the top that holds a log book for people to sign. kind of like bragging rights. foresty forest has climbed to many, cleared trails to get to them, built one, made repairs. well done Henrik.
What a clever and resourceful young man he is! We always approve of “up cycling” as much as possible, he was able to achieve that as well as taking something that is ugly and posses negative karma, and completely turns it around to be a positive experience for so many, to bring comfort and warmth to the community. I would like to see more of this kind of thing. Clearly it isn’t easy, it takes time, and over time, each person that uses the shelter can leave it a little better than what it was when they got there.
I am honestly astonished by the way Norwegians live. They are completely trustworthy and have an amazing community spirit. They learn English in school, they can camp anywhere and you leave with no trace. If that bunker was in North America it would have been trashed and graffiti would be all over the walls. The view was magnificent and it made me ask the question why can’t the world live and get along like this? I have a Norwegian friend and film maker Thomas Hanson and his articles emulate the exact feeling that this wonderful film does. The world needs more Norways and people that have grounded values and respect for one another. To the young man in this article I admire your vision and hard work, let alone your dedication and skills to show off this bunker with a passion to let others enjoy it also❤
Ya, we are not separate from everything around us. We are part of everything around us. Even your enemies are part of the same thing you are. Vanquishing them negatively affects you and vice versa. Your health and happiness depends of the health and happiness of everything around you. You can’t just shoot your way to progress. It’s not that easy. What we see is regressive
Fascinating place! The young man has a food outlook and perspective on living free. A donation box would help to upkeep the bunker, at least to make it watertight. Young people must love going there to feel the ora of the place. Considering it’s history with the Natzis, the bunker has become a friendly place for people to make friends. Great find you guys!
I don’t see anything controversial with it. Russia is building military bases on its own land to defend its interests and territorial integrity. We don’t want Russia expanding into the Eastern Europe or elsewhere, but what Russians do in their own country is only their business. 👍 It is clear that without those bases and Russian nuclear deterrent Western oil & gas companies would be sniffing there and would soon discover some gross violation of the rights of local minorities that require immediate military action 🙈.
“Russia’s military presence far outweighs the rests, even the US.” Ohh this is such a silly statement. Let’s ignore the fact that Russia is building it’s military bases on their ground, while US has their bases literary everywhere. Even if you don’t count them in total, all around the world, just a list of countries with US military bases is bigger than Russia’s bases count in their own country 🙂
Вся территория Арктики это Российская территория . На своей земле русские строят ОБОРОНИТЕЛЬНЫЕ объекты . А то что это властям США не нравиться это их проблемы, России тоже не нравиться, что американцы с англичанами на Украине открыто убивают наших людей, руками всевозможных неофашистов и прочих больных уродов . Так что ясно, что американцы понимают закон силы . Вот и весь разговор с американцами . Талько на позиции сильного .
I doubt Canada will contest much more of the arctic ocean outside of legal precedent. The northwest passage is a much more pressing issue tho, as it is definitely through Canadian waters (it literally passes between many of the northern islands) but is already being disputed as an international passage, as China passed an icebreaker through it without asking permission a couple of years ago. Plus the US has refused to recognize it as Canadian water either. If the government doesnt step up soon we’ll be left holding the bag
Mmm, unfortunately even if the US build a way to stop traffic by way of the baring strate, it would only hurt europe, as Russia can still get goods directly from China. Not sure how you counter? But on the other hand, we have a way to bypass this, the shipping routes we use today, they cost more, but is what we do today. The resources are an interesting question, they are in the economic zone, so they are theirs. I do not thing there is any real chance for a war to start up, MAD is in effect still and nothing here really says it’s worth destroying the world over
I’m just hoping people create an international don’t touch zone with some kind of radius around the north pole–say a few hundred kilometers, probably, just to protect the nature there. Everything else? Free game. And due to the geography, it would only make sense that Russia obtain the largest percentage of that remaining area out of the surrounding countries.
there are perhaps other geostrategic connections for the the NSR. First, Russia might be aiming long-term to have the both NSR AND the Suez route under its control, thus having control of almost all sea trade around the Eurasian continent between China and Europe. This could be why Russia is manoeuvering in the Middle East, and has a major fleet based in Syria, its client state. Second, the NSR provides strategic depth in case of any conflict with China, which has maintained its historical claim to Russia’s Far Eastern province, and likely covets Siberia’s resources. China has also styled itself a “near-Arctic” nation, expressly in regard to access to the NSR. In case of war with China, Russia would use the NSR as a backup logistic route, especially since it would require very little effort to put the only other mass freight route to Siberia, the transSiberian Railroad, out of commission.
Control of key resources is what every superpower has sought after. Just look how many bases the US have in the middle east, which is not even their own territory and 10.000 miles away from their shores. So now wonder Russia and recently also China aims to do the same. Same game just some new players.
Regarding Sweden and Finland, they do not border either the North Sea or the Barents sea. They are thus not entitled arctic seaways. Norway is, but are perfectly able to make agreements with its neighbor Russia. When it comes to Russia, Russia has their territorial waters, just like any arctic nation. This is not China, where the US can declare another nations territorial waters “international” and then claim the right to navigate them. Get real.
I’m confused because obviously it’s looking at it from a 3d sphere. But presumably ships can safely travel through the bearing straits on the usa economic zone. Then skim the Canadian coastline and come down to Europe via Iceland and the UK. Im hopeful that by the time there is significant melting of ice for resources that the world will be far less dependent on natural gas and oil. So to some respects let them have it
Utterly boorish. All these countries should be more concerned with trying to keep the ice from melting. But they want the area for exactly the resources that threaten global climate. All they are really doing is playing games. No normal person needs their country to engage in anything like this. This is all power games that those greedy for power play for fun.
I lived in Alaska, the Airforce base there is the most expensive in the world, for Americans. If you serve there, it’s a non deployment post. ( If there’s a war, you won’t have to go!) These Russian bases are hundreds of miles farther north. If you wonder away, and bad weather hits, you’ll die. So these Russian posts, would be punishment posts. Gulags, for troublesome military.
Significant Arctic blue water events will make the whole shipping thing fairly irrelevant considering what it’ll do to the climate & extreme weather patterns. It’s not like there’s going to be much to ship what with the droughts, floods, extreme heat events, and massively increased energy in those inconvenient typhoon/ hurricane seasonal storms.
EU’s/NATO’s best counter measure is to reduce dependency on oil and gas. That means more wind turbines, solar panels, millions of EVs and legislation forcing to upgrade home gas heating to geothermal, district heating or electricity based. Western nations pay trillions to countries like Russia for oil and gas every year. A product that vaporizes into thin air while also accelerating climate change.
Russia has a problem, as it has only natural resources to sell and oil is on a massive decline. Canada, Denmark and other western countries have advanced tech sectors and strong trade alliances that ensure strong economic futures. Russia is stuck in 1950s thinking, without the Ukraine, Poland and Eastern bloc countries to prop up their cleptocrats. It’s a defunct country, run by a bunch of thieves, thinking that they still exist in some sort of post Soviet military world.