INNOVATION May-June 2013

f ea t u r e s

How Hard-wall Expandable Containers Helped Brazil Recover from an Antarctic Disaster

Shipping containers were unloaded according to a pre-planned sequence and transported to shore by barge by Brazilian Navy personnel

Konrad Mech, P.Eng., CD

B razil’s Estação Antártica Comandante Ferraz generating plant. The resulting fire went out of control, forcing the base’s 58 surviving occupants outdoors. Nearby Argentinean, Chilean and Polish personnel rescued the survivors and assisted in the recovery efforts. The fire resulted in 2 deaths and one injury, and 80% of the EACF base was completely destroyed in the inferno. The only structures left intact were three remote research modules and a 28 m by 28 m steel-decked helipad. But, Brazil was determined to rebuild the EACF base as a national priority. As a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, Brazil faced unlimited liability for all environmental damage resulting from the fire. Brazil had to take immediate action to remediate actual damage and mitigate further damage. With the entire nation and the press watching, Brazil’s response to the situation was put under the microscope. Brazil’s Antarctic program is administered by the Secretariat of the Interministerial Commission for Ocean Resources (SECRIM). SECIRM commissioned the design, supply and con- struction of Emergency Antarctic Modules (MAE) in mid-2012, for a 5-year mission. The purpose of the project was to house up to 66 personnel, including support workers, scientists and research- ers. The modules would provide a temporary base while Brazil designs, constructs, and commissions a new permanent base. Project Challenges The project posed many challenges throughout its life cycle. Project requirements imposed design constraints for wind veloci- ties and snow loads, weight restrictions on modules and material to be transported to site, restrictions on environmental impact during site preparation and construction, waste management obligations in compliance with the Antarctic Treaty, and a very (Commandante Ferraz Antarctic Station or EACF), is located on King George Island, part of the South Shetlands chain in Antarctica. On Saturday, February 25, 2012, an explosion occurred in the base electrical

tight construction schedule window at site due to severe weather conditions. Cultural and language differences added manage- ment complexity on top of a technically challenging project. The available construction window was less than five months, with the bid process taking time away from the front end of the available construction window. Specializing in the design, manufacture, and site construc- tion of redeployable shelter systems for commercial, military and governmental clients, Burnaby-based Weatherhaven Canada Resources was selected to provide services for the design, manu- facture, delivery, construction and commissioning of a completely self-sustaining, self-supporting camp complex for 66 personnel. With shelters in service on every continent, including Antarctica, Weatherhaven was selected for its expertise in polar climes, and on the technical merits of the proposed complex. In particular, SECIRM was interested in Weatherhaven’s solution due to the advantages of its patented HERCon™, a steel-framed, hard-wall paneled, expandable, redeployable containerized shelter that directly responded to the project constraints. The HERCon was the key component that would form the core of the EACF complex. Innovative Solutions for a Hostile Environment Weatherhaven’s analysis of the site constraints during the bid phase led to the proposal of an integrated modular complex, with the main living complex erected on the surface of the existing helipad, and utilities located near the complex. The MAE complex is based on a combination of standard, modified, and expand- able HERCon shipping containers, each 20 feet long. The ship- ping containers comply with the standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), allowing the entire base complex to be transported by standard freight carriers. The layout consisted of HERCon modules outfitted at the factory with equipment, fixtures and furnishings; and modified shipping containers with washrooms, laundry, clothes changing

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