Ice Creep

Ice creep is a phenomenon unique to polar construction in which the weight of a structure causes ice to compress and shift away from sources of pressure. The resulting differential displacement of ice beneath a building causes uneven settling and makes keeping the building level a challenge.

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station incorporates a variety of design elements to manage ice creep. An ice foundation reinforced with a steel grade beam is the first line of defence to mitigate ice creep by creating a solid substrate upon which to place the building supports.



Built on a 3.2 kilometre deep glacier, the station will inevitably experience differential settlement during its life cycle, despite the reinforced ice slab foundation. The building has been designed to compensate when it settles out of a level position by using hydraulic jacks integral to the columns upon which it sits. When deployed, the jacks allow for a quick and easy re-levelling of the building and allow for the integration of new sections of columns to raise the building.

Differential settlement is also addressed in the design of exterior doors. An adjustable height assembly is used to lower or raise the height of exterior doors as required by settlement or the accumulation of snow. A series of modular pieces are moved from below the door to above or vice versa to allow verstality in the location of the opening within an oversized door jamb assembly.

The station is built as an assemblage of smaller, autonomous structures or 'pods' joined by flexible joints which allow for movement of between 6-9 inches in any direction. These flexible joints are another innovative design element, similar to the passenger bays in airports when boarding an airplane. In the joints between buildings, all of the mechanical elements must also accomodate movement and are appropriately equipped with flexible sections of pipe or ducting.