Princess Elisabeth Antarctica
Passive Buildings Techniques
As a “zero emission” science facility and similar to just about any energy-efficient building, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica applies the principles of passive building.
Passive Solar Gain
High Passive Gain
Probably the most remarkable trait of the Princess Elisabeth Station is that it does not need any form of heating to keep its inside temperatures up in some of the coldest environemnt on Earth.
The Princess Elisabeth Station is capable of maintaining its internal temperatures without any form of heating other than incoming sunlight and the heat produced by human beings and electrical appliances in the station.
Insulation
Minimising Heat Losses
Besides the obvious necessity to shield its inhabitants from the surrounding cold of Antarctica, the Princess Elisabeth Station also needs to be air and water tight for optimal energy use and heat transfer.
The nine layers of the station walls each have their very own function, and from isolation to water vapour barrier all contribute to the efficiency of the Princess Elisabeth Station as a passive building and a “zero emission” Antarctic research station.
Nine Different Layers
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is an extremely resistant material that has the ability to withstand the hardships of Antarctica. The stainless steel sheet also prevent water from reaching the wooden inside of the wall panels.
Foam with Closed Cells
The wall panels of the Princess Elisabeth Station left some are lined with a 4-mm closed-cell polystyrene foam mat. This foam ensures air-tightness around the stainless steel bands located under the joints between the various steel plates that cover the station.
EPDM Silicone Sealant
By nature, silicones are highly tensile and tear-resistant materials, and feature resistance to harsh weather, temperature extremes and ultra-violet light. This material is therefore highly suited to the extreme conditions of Antarctica. The sealant was used to make the Princess Elisabeth Station air and water tight.
Lamellate Wood
At the beginning of the project, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica team considered the possibility of building the station entirely in metal. This solution, however, would never have been possible to transform into reality as metal expands and retracts under different temperatures and could have caused the building to burst open. Wood does not have this problem, and it is also a lot easier to transport over the distance from the coast to Utsteinen Nunatak.
Low-Density Polystyrene Charged with Graphite
Polystyrene is extremely lightweight, and therefore ideal when designing the panels of the Princess Elisabeth Station. Thanks to its unique structure, it is moisture and water vapour resistant, which means that it will not rot. Moreover, this foam is ideal for insulation, another of its major assets in building the station.
Kraft Paper
In addition to the aluminium vapour barrier that integrally covers the Antarctic station, the kraft paper of the various wall panels serve as an extra vapour barrier.
Aluminium Vapour Barrier
The aluminium vapour barrier had to cover the entire station in one single piece, because even the tiniest hole could let the cold slip through and damage the entire structure.
Woollen Felt
Inspired by the well-known Mongolian yurts, the woollen felt layer of the Princess Elisabeth wall modules adds to the insulation properties of the panels, while further enhancing the existing water vapour barrier.
Ventilation and Heat Exchange
High Performance Heat Exchangers
The heat exchanger and the ventilation systems integrated in the Princess Elisabeth Station extract the vitiated air and replace it with fresh air.
The role of these systems, however, is not only to prevent the station from turning into a sauna, but also to spread the collected heat over the building, with some areas such as the technical core necessitating more than others.