this project therefore proposes a living architecture, and challenges the classical modernist notions of permanence and stability. the theme of this proposal necessitates an equally responsive environment. as such, the project is located on the ice cap of the arctic ocean; an environment which exhibits harsh climatic conditions for human survival as well as constantly fluctuating physical surroundings. as ice makes up the entire physical environment of the arctic cap, different times of the year present vastly different ground conditions; namely various ice thicknesses, hardness and layering of the ice, topographical features and overall ice coverage. as these factors change over the course of the year so do all architectural and formal qualities associated with them.
his project proposes an adaptable, mutable and contextual scientific research facility on the arctic ice cap. the model for this research centre is based on the nature of exploratory and cinematographic expeditions, the kind exemplified by a bbc series human planet. the duality of needs (investigation and documentation) necessitates an architecture which can accommodate two distinct working environments: one exterior and dynamic; and one interior and stable and controlled. any architectural intervention has to act as a bridge between these environments: facilitate in dangerous explorations while making habitation of the arctic more feasible. the intervention challenges the basic assumptions of what an architectural demand for an arctic expedition normally implies: a static and formally simplistic structure. in contrast, the resulting architecture is self-regulating, self-contained and autonomous. this project challenges vernacular ice architecture as non-adaptable and unresponsive to the landscape and environmental forces. upon the decision of purely using on-site materials and at the same time challenging the igloo, this project aims to produce an architecture which has more than an additive logic. as such, this project proposes the idea of “burrowing architecture”, which is a subtractive methodology.
robotic scanning agents
scanning results
network patterning
deposition geometry
cluster detail
landscape
interior space
primary central space
cluster detail
long section
central space
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions’ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here
Jan 02, 2026
Jan 01, 2026
Dec 30, 2025
Dec 29, 2025