Antarctic Expedition Huts, Antarctica

Geometria conducted digital documentation work for Antarctica New Zealand Event K021, a scientific collaboration between conservation architects Archifact, the University of Minnesota, the University of Waikato, Bath University, Hong Kong University, and Western Cape University. Through this collaboration, researchers have been able to monitor deterioration of the huts over time, combining different methodologies such as laser scanning with scientific approaches in biology and chemistry. Geometria donated data from three Antarctic Expedition Huts to CyArk in 2010.

Located at Cape Royds on Ross Island, the structure known today as Shackleton’s Hut functioned as a home base for multiple expedition teams led by Anglo-Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton between 1908 and 1914. Surviving numerous near-death experiences, Shackleton’s explorations captured the world’s imagination. The recent discovery of five crates of century-old whiskey under the Shackleton's hut provide insight into how the teams coped with freezing temperatures in the shelters. Upon departure from Cape Royds in 1909, Shackleton reflected, “We all turned out to give three cheers and to take a last look at the place where we had spent so many happy days. The hut was not exactly a palatial residence, and during our period of residence in it we had suffered many discomforts, not to say hardships, but, on the other hand, it had been our home for a year that would always live in our memories.”