
ADAMANKIEWICZ ARCHITECT




FUNCTIONS


The project is designed to try to create a space (station) allowing two different methods of observation, which have not been linked up till now. One of these is the KEOPS project (40 telescopes creating a kilometre wide optic instrument) as well as the Schmidt project (5 meter spectroscopic instrument). This is a very tempting proposition for astronomers due to the possibility of carring out separate observations as well as their joint analysis through the interferometer method. Both machines require separate control rooms.
The observatory is designed outside the area which has up till now housed research activity. This is due to the sensitive character of the instruments, which must be protected against potential vibration, turbulence or light interference. Due to the fact that the mirrors are so sensitive to vibration (including those created as a result of movement by personel), the observatory consists of two independent buildings distanced from each other by 15cm.
Building I (housing the telescope) contains spectroscope apparatus, which is administrated from laboratories located in building II (vibrating section). The buildings were placed underneath the surface of the ice in specially dug ditches with a depth of 21.5m as well as 10m respectively. The only element which is above the snow surface is a 35 meter steel pylon, to which the telescope building is attached, in the form of a concave 'crater'. The semi-circular space open toward the outside contains a correctional mirror (Ma), which is tasked with sending information to the main mirror (Mb), located in the interior of the pylon, hidden underneath the surface. The information is sent back to the suspended open zone of the building and channelled on its spherical surface by the attached spectroscopic apparatus, which then sends the information to a control room lacated underneath it. Correctly digested information reaches the central laboratory which manages the Schmidt telescope and which is located in building II. Due to the need to keep the suspended part as light as possible, there is just one room inside necessary to service the second observation method KEOPS.
Apart from the main mirror, the underground part of the pylon contains two storage rooms with spare parts which can be reached directly from the bottom of the ditch, using a specially designed hydraulically powered elevator. A stairwell is located beside the shaft, allowing access to the outside of the building as well as to the bottom of the ditch.
The space between the main mirror and the suspended exterior zone is linked via a non see-through polymer membrane. A technical tunnel runs alongside it, which also gives direct access to building II. Apparatus (fast delay lines), which operates the KEOPS system, is located on the exterior wall, which divides the corridor from the ditch space.
The KEOPS method is very different from the Schmidt machine. The optical instrument will be located outside, south-west of the research station. Their powerful configuration will allow the search for Earth-like planets. All 40 telescopes, spread out in a sphere shape will be linked with tunnels dug in the compressed snow. Special vacuous optical pipes will be placed in them, which will carry information to the central telescope and later to a huge vacuous can (proposition of long delay lines), which will contain mirrors that will even out the time differences in the light coming from specific telescope. The can is located directly underneath the suspended part of the observatory. Information will be sent to the previously described room (optical lab - beam injection) in the suspended zone of building (I) and before reaching the central laboratory in building (II), it will be sent to the afore mentioned fast delay lines to correct the differences emergent as a result of the Earth's rotation.
The vibrating building is located perpendicular to the telescope building. Its long form is visible from the surface as a long line facing east to west. This line cuts across the crater of the only element of the telescope building (apart from the pylon) which is above the snow surface. The building cuts the suspended part into two parts, completing the area of the sphere, which is not utilized at the base, with additional laboratory and recreational rooms.
Building I and building II contain an independent but synchronized hydraulic leg system. Once a year, in the summer season, the observatory is lifted by 10-20 cm thus keeping it above the snow surface. For the telescope building, the system is made up of 12 legs directly linked with the pylon. The 'Crater' which is attached to it, is suspended above a specially segregated snow chamber on the bottom of which is located the vacuous KEOPS can. The vibrating building, which goes across this zone, is propped up on two garage shelves lacated at the opposite ends of the chamber, directly underneath the telescope building, from which it is distanced by a mere 15 cm using a bridge arch.
The bottom of the chamber can be reached via a special hydraulically powered elevator as well as by a stairwell built into the ice wall of the ditch. This stairwell will be built using the same method - suspension from building II - as elevator designed to carry heavy machinery from the garage zone.
In order to make work in extreme conditions and very low temperatures easier, container technology will be used, which means that the interior rooms of the station will be completed and fitted out before they are transported to Dome C. These can include toilets, laundry, drying room, sorting room, cooling room ar all the technical systems such as HVAC, generators, accumulators or water filtering systems. This will definitely make montage easier as well as speeding up building work. The containers will be put together in spacially designed spheres, which if the need arose, can be cut off from the rest of the building to carry out an exchange of the damaged room. Additional containers will be attached to the grid covering the garage area and will act as freezers, or wastage storage.
Using the method already utilized by the German Neumayer III Station, I am introducing a division into two basic zones: summer and winter. The first, operational for 12 months of the year, was additionallyy divided into three parts: living quarters, working area as well as the recreational area. The second, operational only for three months, consists of the living space which acts as a buffer between the winter building and the technical area - which manages the whole observatory. The winter zone was designed for a nine person group, which will consist of three scientists, two electricians, a technician, a doctor, a cook and one extra person. Nine living spaces have also been allocated for the summer zone for guests visiting the station for scientific reasons not necessarily linked with activities which the project being designed is specifically made for.
The building can be accessed directly from the surface from stairwells opened and closed via a hydraulic trap door system as well as from the garage level, which offers additional help in the shape of elevators. The garage is treated as an exterior zone due to the low residing temperature, and is an ideal place to store heavy machinery (vehicles) in case of unexpected exterior conditions.
The building is largely a single storey structure except for the crater zone which has four underground levels. This is the integrated zone open to the outside space of the 'eye ball' which contains the telescope. Large recreational areas are located in the central part of the building, in its western part and bottom zone. The recreational zones are geared toward integrating the summer and winter personnel. The multi level slits in the walls with climbing holds allowing various climbing routes are designed to help in the psychological comfort of the personnel enclosed in the station. Additional attractions are added by: pool table, table tennis, table football, gym and library as well as a bar and a special observational lounge. Due to the sensitivity of the telescope to light all the window openings will be covered by automatic blinds which will only be opened in the summer period. The observational lounge will be an area which will allow personnel to relax through star gazing in the winter period. This lounge, the library as well as the bar will be located on level -1 and will neighbour the living zone of the year round station. This will take up the whole western part of the station and is located ina separate wing of the building. This is so that the personnel, which will be based at the station for 12 months of the year, are able to isolate themselves from those passing through if the need arises.
At the end of the living zone there is a hospital easily accessible through a direct ramp.
The laboratories are in the central part of the building in its eastern zone. This is where the information from the telescope building is sent. The Schmidt observatory rooms are located on level -2 and on the level above this are the laboratories which manage the KEOPS machines as well as the machinery which manages the information from below. Level -3 directly below the laboratories is where the scientific library is placed.
The work space also includes the eating area and adjoining kitchen. The kitchen is large so that it can accommodate all the personnel present in the summer season (up to 18 people). A separate zone was created as a washing area as well as an internal cooling container which sucks in air from the outside using a fan placed in the wall. Outside, in the garage zone, is a container which is used as a freezer. In case it becomes empty it is replaced for a new one using heavy machinery. A container to segregate trash was designed behind the cooling container, it is also designates the eastern border of the winter zone.
Additionally, at a distance of 200 meters due east I expect to build a shelter.