Arctic Mobile Unit Keeps North Pole Visitors Warm
Posted By Olivia Chen On December 18, 2009 @ 9:00 am In Architecture,Prefab Housing | 1 Comment
Living in a land filled with perpetual snow, we can only imagine that Santa Claus [4] has some special magic to keep him and all his elves warm all year. For the rest of us, a stay in the North Pole requires proper equipment — like this arctic mobile unit [5] designed by 2-B-2 Architecture [6]‘s Andrey Bondarenko. The compact little unit operates off a solar battery and power generator [7] and can keep its occupants safe and warm for 15 days, operating between -40 to +10C and withstanding winds up to 85 km/hour (about 50 mph).
The arctic mobile unit [5] is designed for researchers working under frigid conditions at the ends of the earth. To keep its inhabitants warm, the unit collects energy with a solar-powered [8] battery, and uses a 5-kilowatt generator to power a snow melter. The unit is made up of modular pieces and includes a washroom, work/rest area and kitchen. The structure is made up of a steel frame, and clad with carbon panels and polyethylene, thermo-insulating membranes.
The mobile unit can fold up into an extremely compact form that measures just 2000 x 1600 x 2300 mm (about 78 x 63 x 91 in) for transport. The unit has pieces that can be pulled out later [9] to provide more space.
Via Designboom [10]
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URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/arctic-mobile-unit-keeps-north-pole-visitors-warm/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/arctic-mobile-unit-keeps-north-pole-visitors-warm/
[4] Santa Claus: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/17/ge-gives-santa-a-high-tech-green-sleigh/
[5] arctic mobile unit: http://www.archi.com.ua/ru/desctop/module
[6] 2-B-2 Architecture: http://www.coroflot.com/public/individual_details.asp?individual_id=179957
[7] solar battery and power generator: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/07/24/a-unique-solar-powered-community-in-canada/
[8] solar-powered: http://www.inhabitat.com/solar-power/
[9] pieces that can be pulled out later: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/06/26/froebe-gold-plated-shipping-container-bling-bar/
[10] Designboom: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/8026/2-b-2-architecture-arctic-mobile-unit.html
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