The Minister of Science has provided additional funds for the construction project. The Polish Antarctic Station will be expanded at a cost of more than PLN 173 million. Minister of Science Dariusz Wieczorek increased the investment budget by PLN 43 million.
The project for the reconstruction of the infrastructure under the name ‘ARCTOWSKI – PolarPOL – Polish Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Polar Research in the Antarctic’ was prepared by architects from the Kuryłowicz & Associates studio. In turn, the full-service detailed design was prepared by Poznan-based DEMIURG and Home of Houses. The investor is the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
The investment is already underway. So far, PLN 70 million has been spent. This amount has been used to lay the foundation blocks and install the steel structure for the main building. In addition, the work includes the construction of two storage halls with internal infrastructure, the installation of a water and sewage system with a treatment plant and pumping station, and the modernisation of the fuel system. The facility will also gain new power cabling.
A key part of the project – the construction of the main building structure visible in the visualisations – will soon begin. This building will be set on a steel base. The facility will also be finished.
The realisation of the comprehensive reconstruction of the station’s infrastructure will allow Poland to remain in the elite group of twenty countries operating year-round scientific research stations in the Antarctic and to maintain its status as a member of the Consultative Antarctic Treaty Organisation, and with it the equivalent right to vote in decisions on Antarctic management, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education says in a communication.
The facility will conduct research contributing to the development of Polish science and economy. Its construction will enable the expansion and initiation of research of global importance in the field of, among other things, climate change and its impact on the resources and productivity of Antarctic waters.
The Polish Antarctic Station named after Henryk Arctowski is located on King George Island in the South Shetland archipelago in Antarctica. It is 120 km from the Antarctic continent. The station has been operating since 1977 and is continuously used as the only Polish year-round scientific research facility in this part of the world. The project for the new site is expected to be completed in 2027.
source: Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences(https://ibb.edu.pl)
visualisations: DEMIURG
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