Cryoform: Experimental Arctic Constructs

RUDN University

Project idea

The Arctic region is currently of great interest to the world and its development is an important task. The real architectural practice of this region requires new solutions and rethinking the experience of the past. To this end, a project was developed for the architectural solution of a residential building in the extreme conditions of the Arctic, which is the development of a settlement system, the principles of which will be universal for any group of Arctic islands and the creation of an apartment building for this system.
The main idea of the project is to create a sustainable and environmentally friendly settlement in the Arctic. One of the key concepts of the project is the division of the settlement into two levels: upper and lower. The upper level is located on pillars and is connected by pedestrian galleries, which allows you to minimally affect the nature of the Arctic and preserve its integrity. The lower level remains virtually untouched and serves for the interaction of people with nature, which allows the community not to close itself off from the Arctic environment. Also, an important conceptual feature is the modularity and quick-erectability of architecture, which develops as a living organism, which allows it to flexibly and effectively change and adapt the structure and functionality of a building or settlement.
Quick-build involves the use of pre-fabricated modules, components and structures that can be quickly assembled and installed on site. This significantly reduces the construction time and allows you to quickly respond to needs and changes in the environment. Modularity implies that buildings and settlements consist of separate modules that can be added, modified or removed depending on needs and conditions.

Project description

The Arctic region is a truly unique place. Biological, energy and mineral resources are concentrated here, which will determine the future of mankind. The study revealed the advantages and problems of the Arctic. Among which, it is important to highlight one of the predicted problems, this is an increase in ocean level. Due to climate changes, there is a possibility of significant flooding of territories. Thus, when the ocean level rises by 50 m, the coastline will change significantly and most of the coastal mainland territories will go under water. In this case, humanity will have to look for other alternatives, which can be, in particular, islands and archipelagos, including Arctic ones.
Taking into account possible climatic changes and the advantages of the territory, the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, Severny Island, Pospelova Bay were chosen as the design location. One of the important selection criteria was the position of this territory relative to the Northern Sea Route (NSR), as the main artery of development. Another selection criterion was the presence of significant minerals in the region. The third selection criterion was the duration of the navigation period of the NSR. In addition, proximity to the Barents and Kara Seas has also become an important factor when choosing a territory.
As a result of the conducted research and assessment of the potential of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, it was decided to do a more comprehensive work, therefore, as the first stage of the project, a settlement system was developed. This decision was justified by the fact that the design area has good potential and the development of an urban planning model provides an opportunity to more effectively disclose it. In addition, the creation of a settlement system initially allows you to get a more complete idea of the specifics of the area and its potential, as well as take into account all the factors affecting the comfort of living.
The model of the settlement system was developed, as mentioned earlier, taking into account the possibility of its further extension to other islands of the Arctic groups and taking into account its possibility of development and expansion. It is a structure based on a rigid grid, which consists of several levels and minimally affects the ground. All the main functions are located in the aboveground part of the settlement, which is located at + 10,900 m from ground level. All parts of this level will be connected by transit pedestrian corridors, where thus the upper part of the settlement becomes intended only for pedestrians and at this level everything will be located in a comfortable walking distance. Moving along the corridors of the upper level, a person will be able to comfortably get to any point of the route without going outside. Here, on the way of transits, he can spend his time in a mini greenhouse, admire the viewpoints opening out to the sea. The lower level, the Ground level will be subject to minimal human impact, it will be designed to communicate with nature and the environment of the settlement. Also, active sports and entertainment will be held at this level. In winter, activities such as skiing, ice skating, curling, snow skating, dog riding and other winter fun will be held. Events suitable for summer weather conditions will be organized in the summer. An important function of the lower level will be sports facilities, such as stadiums, which in case of emergencies can become a shelter for residents of the settlement. There will be food and water supplies, mini-generators and other devices for survival while waiting for the help of rescuers.
The functional content of the settlement will meet all the requirements of comfort and energy efficiency.
The settlement is an innovative hub located on the route of the Northern Sea Route. One of the most important functional programs of the settlement is the maintenance of the NSR. In the settlement there is a port, an airfield and repair stations (The port is one of the most important points of application of labor. The creation of infrastructure around the port (in particular housing and recreational facilities) will be the first stage in the creation of the settlement. With further development, the settlement will become innovative, it will house research stations located under the water surface. Servers and crypto farms will be located 50m from the coastline in the settlement. This location is not chosen by chance, because server maintenance is interactive and they need quick access from the port.
In order to ensure autonomy, the settlement will house agricultural filling facilities, production facilities necessary for life support, medical modules, etc. An equally important role will be played by the scientific component of the settlement, which includes various educational and research functions, including schools, research institutes and climate change monitoring stations. In addition, scientific functions will also affect the technical part of the settlement and cybersecurity centers will be created. Of course, recreational facilities will also be located in the settlement, which, among other things, will have a unique character. For example, an object such as the northernmost gaming club will become the entertainment center of the settlement and a landmark place. The largest percentage of buildings will be occupied by residential buildings.
Urban planning principles of the settlement, pay special attention to environmental sustainability, walking distance and autonomy.
The first of the basic principles is environmental sustainability. The upper level of the settlement, placed on stilts, minimizes interference with the surrounding nature. This makes it possible to preserve natural ecosystems and landscapes, since the main objects are connected by pedestrian galleries. Construction on stilts contributes to the preservation of natural spaces, ensuring natural air circulation.
The next important principle is autonomy. The settlement strives for full autonomy in the field of energy, water supply and waste management. The use of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, provides an independent and stable energy supply for the settlement. Water collection and purification systems ensure a sustainable water supply, and innovative waste management methods contribute to reducing the negative impact on the environment.
Another principle is functional mixing. The settlement puts an emphasis on social mixing and diversity. Residential buildings, commercial facilities and public spaces of various functions coexist side by side. This contributes to the creation of a diverse and inclusive community where people of different social groups and interests can interact and meet.
Flexibility and adaptability are also one of the main urban planning principles of the settlement. Urban planning solutions provide for the possibility of changes and modifications in the future to take into account changing needs and technological innovations, which ensures the sustainability and durability of the settlement in the long term.
Sustainable mobility. The settlement actively supports sustainable modes of transport and encourages public and environmentally friendly mobility. Pedestrian galleries and monorails provide convenient alternatives to automobile traffic.
The development of the settlement and city system, their principles and features, set the vector for the conceptual, constructive, technological directions of the formation of a residential building. The residential building will consist of a system in which residential modules that are assembled in advance at the factory will be installed. As in the settlement, the main principle of a residential building is modularity. The formation of the structure occurs spontaneously and develops according to its own principles, like a living organism. The principles of the house are based on the fact that the community inside the house has strong social ties, and as it should be, a society that is in extreme conditions will be united and be in good neighborly relations. At the same time, also, the concept of the house does not ignore the private life of each tenant. Therefore, there is a main core in the house - the heart of the house, where public functions are located and active communication of residents takes place. For example, in the public core there are saunas, a gym, a bar, areas of joint creativity, karaoke, coworking areas, game rooms for children, etc. Modules with a private life stick around this public core, where residents can take a break from socializing and retire to their own everyday life.
The settlement system from one independent element can grow into a whole city. So during the development of the project, the system was extended to the entire design site, Pospelov Bay, and organized a whole city. Since the appearance of such cities, especially in the Arctic, appeals to great economic interests, the development took into account the scenario when different parts of the city fall under the influence of various large corporations of the Russian Federation, which will contribute to the development of the city.
For example, the part of the city that will be controlled by Rostatom is characterized by a large number of research centers and stations. Rostatom actively develops nuclear technologies and conducts research in the field of atomic energy. This helps attract scientists, engineers and specialists to this area, which contributes to the scientific and technological development of the city.

Technical information

The settlement structure is installed on pillars, as mentioned above, thanks to this we minimally interfere with the natural environment and preserve its integrity. An anchor foundation will serve as the foundation. The architecture of the settlement and residential building will be made of glued beams. The choice of such a material is due to the fact that structures made of knee timber are prefabricated, easy to assemble and install, lightweight and compact. Also, glued beams can be made in various sizes and shapes, which gives it flexibility in designing and adapting to different conditions. The modularity of the material makes it easy to change or expand designs, which is especially important in case of changing needs or conditions. In addition, glued timber structures have proven themselves well in the conditions of the northern regions due to the fact that they maintain good stability and retain heat well. In addition, such structures are environmentally friendly and recyclable.
The autonomy of the settlement is one of the key factors of its existence, therefore, an important component of the functional content are energy facilities that use renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar energy and geothermal energy. The power equipment will be located in all environments of the island and will be represented by wind turbines, nuclear generators, hydro generators as the main sources of electricity
The construction of the residential building will be a frame in which blocks of residential modules built according to the principles of the Altai warm house will be installed. The design of one residential module will be able to change and expand by attaching new modules, thereby enabling residents to change their living conditions. Also, windows with nano magnetic liquid inside the double-glazed window will be used, which will accumulate and give off heat when needed. In addition, to ensure a comfortable living regime in the conditions of the polar day, interactive facade systems will be installed on the facades of the modules, reacting to sunlight and darkening the space of apartments if necessary.