Design Evaluation of an Arctic Research Station

Abstract

Extreme environmental and social conditions in polar and circumpolar regions present great challenges to field research personnel. In 1997, a new station was constructed at the summit of Greenland for the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs to carry out research on a year-round basis. A longitudinal survey was conducted with the first winter-over crew from August 1997 through April 1998 to find out how the users evaluated the station and to what extent their evaluation of the station was related to their well-being. Results of the survey indicate that the users maintained a positive evaluation of the built environment throughout the season. However, effects of the spatial confinement of the station on the users were somewhat visible. Furthermore, the survey revealed some tendencies between the self-described well-being and environmental and psychological factors. The article concludes with suggestions for design of similar stations in the future.