Kiwi construction companies vying for Earth's iciest rebuild in Antarctica

Wednesday, 5 February 2020

A fly-through of the proposed redevelopment of Scott Base in Antarctica.

Three Christchurch contractors have been shortlisted for the iciest construction job on the planet – the Scott Base rebuild in Antarctica.

Armitage Williams Construction, Leighs Construction and Naylor Love Canterbury are among five firms vying to win the contract which will see three large interconnected buildings and a helicopter hangar built on the frozen continent.

The two other companies are Hawkins 2017 Ltd, which was founded in Waikato, and Canstruct Pty Ltd, based near Brisbane, Australia.

Scott Base is on the southern end of Ross Island in McMurdo Sound, more than 3500km south of Christchurch.

Antarctica New Zealand must raise $50 million in charitable donations as part of the $250m rebuild.

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Once complete the new Scott Base will consist of three interconnected buildings.

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Antarctica New Zealand senior project manager Simon Shelton with a scaled model of the proposed Scott Base.

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Over the next 18 months, $18.5m will be used to complete a detailed design of the new hub.

Securing a main contractor is part of this phase, with construction expected to begin in 2020-21 and likely take eight years.

Two representatives from each company will fly to the site this week, but it won't be a holiday on the ice as they learn what it will take to build in the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth.

'It is an opportunity for the construction companies to understand the challenges and commercial risk, and the unique logistical requirements involved in safely living, working and building in Antarctica,' said Simon Shelton, Antarctica New Zealand senior project manager.

'This is the largest project ever undertaken by Antarctica New Zealand and a complicated build, so we are committed to finding the right company to join our team.'

As well as being shown the construction area and the existing Scott Base, the contractors will visit a number of important long-term research sites.

They will also undergo Antarctic Field Training and experience what it is like to be outside in the freezing environment for a continual period of time and how to keep safe outdoors.

Following the visit, each company will prepare a detailed report outlining how they could build the new base and the preferred contractor will be chosen by March 2021.

'We want to ensure buildability, assurance of asset maintainability and that the final design provides a balance of innovation and value for money,' Shelton said.

The main contractor will work with Antarctica New Zealand and the design team on how best to deliver the project and once completed, the new base will be able to accommodate up to 100 people at a time.