Rebuilding the south garages on flexible foundations
Two years ago, the entrance hall to the Princess Elisabeth station was rebuilt on flexible foundations, allowing it to cope with the movements of the ice it is built upon. This season, the south garages are undergoing the same kind of renovations.
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The flexible foundations are composed of long wooden beams that support the structure of the garages. One end of each beam is attached to the granite ridge underneath the station, while the other end can slide on adjustable platforms anchored into the ice. Here is the granite side under the entrance hall.
© International Polar Foundation / Alain Hubert
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The platforms will move with the ice, but the beams and the structure they support will slide along them, remaining firmly in place. This makes it possible for the garage to deal with the movements of the ice over several years, by simply adjusting the platforms or by building new ones as they are needed. Here is the platform side under the entrance hall.
© International Polar Foundation / Alain Hubert
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Benoit Thybergein maneuvering the Fassi crane to dismantle part of the garage’s original structure.
© International Polar Foundation / Jos Van Hemelrijck
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Work is already well under way. The advantage of wooden structures is that they can be dismantled and rebuilt relatively quickly. Materials can also be easily recycled and repurposed for other work.
© International Polar Foundation / Jos Van Hemelrijck
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A wall module up in the air.
© International Polar Foundation / Jos Van Hemelrijck
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A storm hit Utsteinen in the middle of the job, dropping a bit of snow in the construction zone.
© International Polar Foundation / Jos Van Hemelrijck
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Clearing away the snow.
© International Polar Foundation / Jos Van Hemelrijck
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Removing snow and ice from the ridge right under the station to install the anchoring points.
© International Polar Foundation / Jos Van Hemelrijck
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One of the new anchoring points. The long beams and the rest of the timber will arrive with the supply ship later this month.
© International Polar Foundation / Jos Van Hemelrijck
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Taking out old beams from the top of the garages. The entrance hall already sitting on those flexible foundations is on the left.
© International Polar Foundation / Jos Van Hemelrijck
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The underbelly of the station.
© International Polar Foundation / Jos Van Hemelrijck
