Shipped from Gdynia, raised on Ice: Poland closes the structure of its new Antarctic station

Prefabricated in Poland, loaded onto a ship in Gdynia and assembled 14,000 kilometres away, with no port and in a wind chill reaching minus 25 degrees Celsius. On King George Island, in the maritime zone of Antarctica, two Polish companies have closed the structure of the main building of the new Henryk Arctowski Station. From start to finish, this is a project built on the sea.

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17 june 2026   |   06:45   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

fot. Konsorcjum Dekpol Budownictwo i Andrewex Construction

A consortium of Dekpol Budownictwo and Andrewex Construction has completed the structural assembly of the main building, commissioned by the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IBB PAN). The work ran from late November 2025 to April 2026, across a single short Antarctic season that left no room for error.

A voyage that begins on the Baltic

The whole logistics of this build start in Poland. The building was first erected at home and even went through a trial assembly before being dismantled, packed and prepared for sea transport. Roughly 95 percent of the cladding was prefabricated, so that on site the work could be cut to a minimum.

From there the route led through the port of Gdynia and halfway around the globe. King George Island has no port infrastructure, so unloading the materials and equipment alone took seven days and relied on tracked amphibious carriers.

Five months in a minus 25 wind chill

In about five months the team raised the full structure, laid the floor and façade panels and clad the building in steel chosen to resist Antarctic weather. The climate, not the schedule, was the main adversary. Gusting wind forced repeated stoppages, and humidity above 90 percent slowed every stage. By the end of the season temperatures dropped to around minus 10 degrees, which combined with strong wind meant working in a wind chill reaching minus 25.

- The past months demanded not only experience and excellent organisation, but above all close cooperation, says Mariusz Niewiadomski, CEO of Dekpol Budownictwo, the consortium leader.

Timber, steel and 76,000 screws

The numbers are striking. The main structure uses more than 220 cubic metres of glued spruce, nearly 400 floor panels and over 600 prefabricated timber panels clad in weather-resistant steel. Fixing that steel alone took 76,000 screws. The building also holds more than 130 reinforced windows, 49 dome skylights and over 1,300 metres of ventilation ducts. The architectural concept is by the studio Kuryłowicz & Associates, and the investment is financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

- The armoured windows, the steel cladding resistant to salt, humidity and wind-blown sand, and the insulation layers all performed as expected, says Mateusz Falborski, site manager at Dekpol Budownictwo. He notes that raising the building about three metres above ground level was also key, protecting access during heavy snowfall.

A winter watch at the end of the world

Closing the structure is a milestone, not the finish. An 11-person team will stay on site through the Antarctic winter to handle the fit-out, including joinery, ventilation, electrical and plumbing systems, and flooring. Their company will be penguins, skuas, seals and elephant seals, regular visitors near the site.

- This is a project of exceptional importance, and we are proud to be part of it. The synergy of both companies, working with IBB PAN, allowed us to complete the structural assembly within a single weather season, says Artur Kowalski, CEO of Andrewex Construction.

Poland's "embassy" in Antarctica

Operating since 1977, the Arctowski Station serves as Poland's informal "embassy" on the white continent. It sits on Admiralty Bay on King George Island, in the South Shetlands, an island already counted within the maritime climate zone of Antarctica, some 120 kilometres off the Antarctic coast. It hosts Polish research in oceanography, ecology and climatology. The new building is due for completion in February 2027, on the station's 50th anniversary.

And it all begins and ends at sea. From the load-out in Gdynia, through thousands of miles of voyage, to a discharge straight onto an ice shore where there is no quay and no crane, only a ship, an amphibious carrier and the weather that governs everything.

An Antarctic puzzle with hundreds of moving parts

One of the most demanding scientific infrastructure projects in Poland’s history is being delivered through the combined efforts of a broad network of institutions, designers, contractors and logistics partners. The project is funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, while overall coordination of the comprehensive modernisation programme and logistical support are provided by the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Preparatory work included a geotechnical assessment carried out by GEO4Tech, the preparation of a 1:500 base map for design purposes by the Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography of the Warsaw University of Technology, and laser scanning and surveying services delivered by SKALA 3D.

The architectural and multidisciplinary design concept for the new main building was developed by Kuryłowicz & Associates, which also serves as the lead designer for the project. The firm worked in cooperation with Buro Happold Polska and acoustic consultancy ewkAkustika, led by Ewa Więckowska-Kosmala. The technical design documentation for the comprehensive modernisation programme was prepared by a consortium comprising DEMIURG Project S.A., DEMIURG Sp. z o.o. sp.k. and Home of Houses Sp. z o.o., which also provides author’s supervision throughout the construction process. Investor supervision is carried out by Project Management Sp. z o.o., while legal support and oversight of the procurement process and tender documentation are provided by Kancelaria Zamówień Publicznych Sp. z o.o. and Lubieniecki Maciejewski Attorneys-at-Law Partnership.

Maritime logistics remain a crucial element of the entire undertaking. Transportation of materials and equipment is carried out by Winot OÜ, based in Tallinn, aboard the research vessel r/v NOOSFERA of the Ukrainian Antarctic Programme, and by Euroafrica Services Limited (Branch in Poland) aboard the ESL AUSTRALIA. NAVIGA Krzysztof Makowski Sp. z o.o. is responsible for the delivery of selected construction materials and auxiliary supplies, port and warehouse operations, and container shipments.

Construction works and the assembly of the steel structure at the station are supervised by Dekpol Budownictwo. Betpref, a member of the Dekpol Group, is responsible for the prefabrication of warehouse facilities as well as the foundations and steel structure of the main building, in cooperation with NAVIGA Krzysztof Makowski Sp. z o.o. The prefabrication and on-site assembly of the main building structure are being carried out by the Dekpol Budownictwo–Andrewex Construction consortium.

The station’s fuel installation is being prefabricated and assembled by a consortium of Sevitel Sp. z o.o. and Mestrole Polska Sp. z o.o. Water and wastewater infrastructure, including the sewage treatment plant, is supplied and installed by P.P.H.U. SADEKO Mirosław Nowak. The comprehensive modernisation of the station’s energy system, including photovoltaic installations and an energy storage facility, is being delivered by ENERGY STAR Leszek Krzemień and Mikrogeneracja Sp. z o.o. Bathroom fittings and equipment are supplied by Omnires Sp. z o.o.

The successful delivery of the new Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station depends on the collaboration of dozens of organisations — from architects, engineers and contractors to logistics operators, ship crews and on-site teams. Their combined expertise ensures that construction can continue according to schedule despite the extreme environmental conditions at the edge of the world.

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Polska Stacja Antarktyczna im. Henryka Arctowskiego Stacja Arctowskiego budowa w Antarktyce Dekpol Budownictwo transport morski z Gdyni

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