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CaseStudy

Putting Cabooses to good uses

From CAD User AEC Magazine Vol 22 No 11 - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009

ArchiCAD has been used to recycle "Cabooses" so that they can be relocated way down under - the Antarctic in fact!

Could we have built up such a helter skelter global economy without the ability to ship countless billions of cheap goods from one side of the globe to the other? Could the manufacturing powerhouses of the East have thrived without the ability to stash immeasurable quantities of consumer goods into the most efficient means of packaging and delivery ever invented? And would any of it have even happened if shipping companies still had to rely on derricks and holds to transport their cargoes worldwide?

Commercial shipping has often been cited as a considerable contributor to global warming. So it’s heartwarming, rather than planet warming, to see shipping containers being repurposed and converted for use as part of research into the effects that man is having on the ecosystem. The containers are being recycled into 'pods' to facilitate research in one of the most hostile environments on earth, courtesy of one of the more quirky projects that Dave Emery, of Virtechs Limited, is involved in for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The pods, known as "Cabooses", are part of the current development of the Halley VI research station on the Brunt Ice Shelf - a floating area of ice that is flowing off the Antarctic Plateau.

The demands placed upon Virtechs to remodel and kit out the Caboose goes way beyond the need to pop in a couple of shower units and radiators and hook them up to a water heating system, however. We’re not just talking about converting a container into a mobile home here! The Cabooses, besides coping with the kinetic and extreme landscape, have to provide the research teams’ every scientific need in confined and cramped quarters for many snowbound months at a time.

Having a station on a floating ice shelf creates a number of unique challenges. The region receives around a metre of snow accumulation every year, so any object left out on the surface is quickly buried. The ice flows towards the sea at the rate of half a kilometre per annum, and any buildings placed on them will shift and become crushed as the ice heaves and cracks. It’s essential then that the building be both tough and easily moved. The Cabooses started life as standard 20ft x 8ft x 9½ft shipping containers. Now, at the end of their working life, they are being recycled into extremely robust pods - and robustness is essential to survive the long sea journey and the severe weather conditions in the Antarctic. These small laboratories will enable scientists to continue research into a range of disciplines including meteorology, glaciology, seismology and radio astronomy.

Each pod consists of work benches down one side and storage racking on the other side. Redevelopment of each container requires the replacement of the double ended doors with a single access door, the insertion of stud walls with (only) 50mm insulation, the fitting of workbenches and racking and the installation of the required electrical and plumbing services.

The services are particularly key as there is a lot of expensive research equipment to keep powered and to keep at a constant temperature. Temperature control is especially critical because of how easy it is for condensation to occur, both because it's a metal container with extreme cold on the outside and because there is so much cold bridging to the inner walls and services.

Perhaps surprisingly, the challenge is to keep the inside of the Caboose cool and not, as you might expect, to keep it warm! Both solar gain (clean air and long days for a substantial part of the year) coupled with the heat produced by the scientific equipment mean that a substantial air ventilation system has been installed to counteract the build up of heat and to expel condensation.

Virtechs, a long-time user of ArchiCAD, became involved in the project after one of their clients was asked to carry out the fabrication works, and they engaged Virtechs to produce a BIM model for fabrication purposes. Subsequently, the M&E Consultant - EIC Ltd - realised that if they also engaged Virtechs to model the services and equipment, the all-toocommon problems of clashes in such a densely packed laboratory could be designed out.

To ensure that it really did all fit together seamlessly, Virtechs used GRAPHISOFT MEP (Mechanical/Electrical/ Plumbing) Modeller to bring the designs together and to identify automatically any clashes. This initial project is for three Cabooses each of which is being used for different scientific purposes so each has its own specification and design requirements. This strategy of partnering and modelling has brought about an unplanned dividend because all the companies involved are now in discussion with BAS about further work.

Graphisoft's MEP Modeler is a new extension to ArchiCAD 13. Architectural practices and architectural departments of A/E firms using ArchiCAD can use MEP Modeler to create, edit or import 3D MEP networks (ductwork, piping and cable trays) and coordinate them within the ArchiCAD Virtual Building - the company's well-established BIM solution. The Graphisoft MEP Modeler includes a rich MEP-specific object library, containing specially configured MEP elements that include smart connection points for automatic connection during routing of MEP systems.

Simple to use, groups of MEP elements are handled together - ducts, pipes and cable trays controlling attributes of elements belonging to the same system. System level attributes such as contour pens, system materials and centerlines define the look of entire systems, helping with identification, and when new elements are added they automatically take on appropriate connection parameters such as shape and diameter as well as width and height values.

The accompanying images give some indication of the complexity of the MEP systems developed within the confined spaces of the cabooses. As Emery concludes "Yet again, ArchiCAD has been fundamental in winning work for this practice. In conjunction with the MEP Modeller which we recently purchased, we have gained a foothold into an entirely new sector, one which we can see will lead to a variety of interesting opportunities in the future. It is very gratifying to think that in a way we are now represented at the very ends of the earth."

It's reassuring that these humble, but now revitalised, sea containers will contribute to the important work done by the British Antarctic Survey. The continuous measurement of atmospheric composition and weather patterns over the last 50 years provides a very valuable record, which can be used to help understand the impact of human pollution on the planet. As an example this allowed BAS scientists to discover the hole in the ozone layer which led to the signing of the Montreal Protocol banning the use of CFCs.

The Cabooses provide an essential working environment for scientists engaged at the ends of the earth, enabling them to compile data that helps us understand the very nature of the world we live in, and what we are doing to it. What’s more, their very origin as shipping containers, recycled to become climate research laboratories, sets a great example. From second-hand containers to first rate laboratories that will benefit us all!

www.graphisoft.com

CaseStudy

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