INNOVATION May-June 2013

vestibule, kitchen make up air unit, etc. These were connected with a corridor or spine constructed of standard shipping con- tainers fitted with doors and insulation to create one contiguous living complex. The HERCon containers were used for modules requiring large usable floor space equipped with integrated furnishings or fea- tures—plumbed sinks, toilets, cabinetry, and kitchen equipment. Furnishings and equipment were secured inside the HERCons prior to shipment, an approach which provided shipping efficien- cies by reducing container count. During design, environmental and climactic conditions had to be considered. Antarctica’s unique flora and fauna are protected by onerous restrictions of the Antarctic Treaty. Weatherhaven was restricted in allowable sites for erecting the modules. During construction, movement of heavy equipment at site and exca- vation and foundation work had to be minimized, driving the design to minimize the footprint. Using 20-foot modules for the complex minimized foundation work requiring excavation, and maximized space utilization on the helipad. Design had to allow for 200 km/h winds as well as snow load. With temperatures ranging between -28 º C and +16 º C, snow and ice-loading issues are exacerbated by the freeze-thaw cycle. Heavy snowfalls also require ongoing shoveling of the roofs and around the modules. One major challenge for Weatherhaven’s engineering depart- ment was to confirm the ability of the existing helipad to with- stand the loads transferred from the modules erected on the helipad decking to 30-year-old footings constructed on the gravel beach. Mike Crozier, P.Eng., conducted Finite Element Analysis on the complex and structure, and conferred with Brazilian Naval engineers prior to acceptance of the design. Wind loads, anchor- ing arrangements to secure the modules to the helipad, and con- stantly shifting wind directions had to be considered. There was also concern about potential degradation of the helipad integrity after 30 years exposure to the elements, particularly aggressive corrosion from marine salt-spray. To mitigate risk, Weatherhaven’s Construction Manager flew from Burnaby to Antarctica to inspect the helipad steel deck plating, steel support structure, and concrete footings. Landing by military helicopter with sustained 90 km/h winds, his total allowed time at site was 12 minutes, during which he drilled test holes in the decking, and inspected and photographed the sup- port structure and footings. The HERCon required many design changes due to the project requirements. The author was sent to South Africa last fall to assist the plant with design changes required to meet the snow loading and wind loading conditions. Karl Kenny, P.Eng., devel- oped cross bracing supports for the HERCon core roofs and swing roofs to enhance the modules’ capability to withstand expected snow loading. Supplemental insulation for the HERCons required an innovative approach for simple field installation to the exterior of the modules in harsh conditions. One key advantage of the camp design was the small num- ber of containers required for such a sophisticated complex. Travelling by ship from Punta Arenas, Chile, to site involves a four-day transit of the Drake Passage, infamous for making passengers and crew alike violently seasick. The Brazilian Navy

chartered a ship specifically for this mission, so minimizing the number of required containers was also important. Making multiple trips to and from Chile was not an option, nor did transit time and weather make this viable. Further, weight limitations on each module were restricted by the load-carrying capacities of the unloading crane and barge used to transport each container from ship to shore. The total number of containers sent to site was 39, including bulk materials and tools. Because the HERCon deploys from a standard 8-foot by 20-foot shipping container configuration to an open-plan unit, Weatherhaven provided 366 square feet of usable floor space per module, significantly reducing the number of containers. Twelve HERCons when deployed provided a total usable floor space of 4,392 square feet—the equivalent of 36 ISO containers. When the high logistical cost and effort to trans- port containers to site is considered, the benefit of reducing the number of shipping containers by 24 is significant—a reduction of almost 40% of logistical efforts and costs. Construction constraints were not limited to equipment— Weatherhaven’s construction manpower was limited to 15 per- sonnel due to the time, distance and expense of deploying them to site and supporting them. Schedule delays could not be com- pensated for by simply increasing the amount of workers on the project. Communications were challenging at times, and delays occurred when the construction manager needed confirmation or data from the engineering department in Burnaby. However, site construction was completed in 28 days, including commis- sioning of electrical

power generation and reticulation, potable water treatment, sewage treatment, and occupancy for the client. Each shipping con- tainer was unloaded according to a pre- planned sequence and transported to shore by barge by Brazilian Navy personnel. The containers were then positioned onto the helipad using a boom crane mounted on a tracked vehicle. The crew constructed insulated cribbing to thermally insulate the modules from the steel decking of the helipad. HERCon modules were deployed, taking three men less than one hour to fully deploy and secure each

ABOVE: Modules being loaded on to a barge for transport to the site. BELOW: Temporary base deployed on and around the existing helipad. Site construction was completed in 28 days.

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