The construction of the new headquarters of the Polish Antarctic Station is entering its next phase. The structural base—raising the building 3 meters above ground level—is already in place. In November, modules are scheduled to arrive, which should enable completion of the so‑called “closed shell” structure by the end of April.
Subsequently, during the Antarctic winter (our spring–summer), all interior installations will be carried out. During the next Antarctic summer (our autumn–winter), final finishing work is planned.
“If everything goes according to plan—and we face numerous threats such as adverse weather—then in February 2027 we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station in its new main building,” said Agnieszka Kruszewska from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences (IBB PAN), who manages the station.
She added that the building will have an area of approximately 1,500 m². “Above all, the building is modern and meets all the research and living criteria of the 21st century. Thanks to the new facility, the comfort of staying or wintering at the station will be significantly improved—for example, by windows in the wintering rooms oriented toward the bay. Moreover, the interior will include laboratory space, a gym, and a library.”
The frame for the new main building is already in place. The structure now awaits the modules that will form the so-called “closed shell.” “This is one of the key undertakings of the entire investment process,” noted the station manager.
The elements are scheduled to arrive at the station in early November aboard a ship departing from Gdynia, carrying about 500 tons of cargo. A second vessel—this time with the crew—will sail from Cape Town (South Africa). “Additionally, once at the site, the crews of both ships will participate in unloading and fuel transfer from the Gdynia ship. That is why we strongly hope that no unforeseen circumstances, such as weather, will prevent both ships from reaching the bay on schedule. Efficient unloading will allow us to begin construction work immediately,” said Kruszewska.
Interestingly, as part of comprehensive preparations, the crew rehearsed the assembly of the modules in Poland during a trial “dry run.”
According to Kruszewska, the new main building resembles the shape of an airplane propeller, which means that the strong winds will not lift it but rather press it down. The internal structure is wooden, while the façade will be made of sheet metal from a copper–aluminum alloy.
The Polish Antarctic Station is a year-round scientific research facility, located on Admiralty Bay, King George Island, in the South Shetlands archipelago (climatically part of maritime Antarctica). It lies more than 14,000 km from Poland. The complex consists of 12 buildings and serves as a base for research in microbiology, ecology, oceanography, geology, climatology, and environmental monitoring.
Almost half a century of operating in extremely harsh climatic conditions has led to significant wear and tear of the buildings. “At some point, we had to face the brutal reality that, although the station was regularly maintained and serviced, coastal erosion had brought the residential building to within only 2 meters from the shore. This created a real danger for both the people staying there and the infrastructure,” Kruszewska explained.
Therefore, the new main building has been located further inland and elevated 3 meters above the ground.
As Kruszewska recalled, modernization is not just about the new main building. “The station functions like a system of interconnected vessels and is a fully autonomous entity. This is why we also had to rebuild the entire fuel system, the energy installation, and the water–sewage system. We revitalized the garage halls and the generator hall, and we added two additional storage halls, a technical gas warehouse, and a wastewater treatment plant,” she said.
Despite years of ongoing construction, the station has been operating without interruption. “The scientific groups and our station’s staff are not directly involved in the investment process; the work is carried out by technical teams. Meanwhile, scientists from the Institute’s Department of Antarctic Biology continue environmental monitoring of the investment,” she added.
The budget for the modernization amounts to over 170 million PLN.
The need for modernization of the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station also stems from Poland’s obligations as a signatory of the Antarctic Treaty. Poland is among the 29 consultative parties authorized to make decisions about human activities in Antarctica. One of the conditions for remaining in this group is the continuity of significant scientific research, which in turn requires adequate infrastructure.
At the beginning of August, Warsaw for the first time hosted the annual meeting of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), an organization bringing together managers of national Antarctic programs. During the meeting, Agnieszka Kruszewska of IBB PAS was elected as chair of COMNAP for a three-year term.
Source: naukawpolsce.pl, Agnieszka Kliks-Pudlik (PAP)
