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One of the main scientific stations in Antarctica, Halley,
was first established by the Royal Society in 1956 and taken over by the British
Antarctic Survey in 1959. Five sets of buildings have been constructed at the
site over the last 45 years, the first four gradually being engulfed by snow and
ice and then abandoned.
When Halley 5, the current station, was built, it
was designed to accommodate about 40 people -- 20 all-year-round staff and
another 20 or so in the summer. In fact, there are frequently more than 20
summer visitors at the station; so steel-framed insulated fabric structures had
been used to provide extra accommodation. However, these had a relatively short
life and were costly and time-consuming to keep in a usable condition.
In 1994, following the success of a garage and
vehicle workshop at Halley that had been designed and built by Bennett
Associates and VM Fabrications, the same team was commissioned by the British
Antarctic Survey to design and build a permanent self-contained structure with
sleeping accommodation and mess-room facilities, complete with power and
heating, furniture and furnishings, catering equipment and storage.
The result was the Drewry building, named after Dr
D J Drewry, Director of the British Antarctic Survey 1987-94. Like the garage
two years before, the Drewry Summer Accommodation Building was to be mounted on
a skid base to form an integral towable unit so it could be re-located to avoid
the problems associated with snow and ice accumulation around static structures.
The complete building, including all fixtures and fittings weigh 45 tonnes, so
it can be moved by existing plant at Halley.
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