The Situation
Located in Antarctica the coldest place on Earth, Scott's Hut was designed to house the first explorers on the continent. Built in the UK in 1918, it was brought down via ship with the Scott's original expedition team.
Designated as an Antarctic Historic Site, the hut is now over 100 years old and needs regular maintenance. As it's one of the most historic buildings in New Zealand's history, restoration work needs to be carefully planned and executed well to preserve the building's integrity.
The Challenge
In terms of ensuring the long-term survival of the building, Chesire Architects felt that the waterproofing was a critical part of the restoration of the hut. Requiring a product and detailing that mimicked the original roofing material, Nuraply 3PM was chosen for the job.
As the use of flames and glues was not available, due to the delicate nature of the building and climate, the applicators had to take the utmost care. Nuralite trained workers from the Antarctic Heritage Trust as applicators because the distance proved to be an issue for our regular applicators.
Training in a refrigerated container in -3° in Auckland, the heritage trust workers learnt how to install Nuraply 3PM very skillfully to use on Scott's Hut.
The Solution
By first mechanically fastening the Nuraply 3PM, then heat welding the joints with hot air guns, the membrane was fitted to the pitched roof.
Overall a very successful membrane installation, Scott's hut is now waterproofed for many years to come.
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