A Habitat for Living in Tundra Environments

The extreme biome that i chose for my habitat was the tundra, this is because tundras cover around 10% of the surface of the earth and are currently considered uninhabitable in most areas. The main challenges faced when building infrastructures in tundras are the active layer (a layer of snow that melts completely in the summer and can be as high as 3 meters during the winter) and the permafrost layer which has the potential to melt if exposed to enough heat which would ruin the foundations of the structure.

• Fusion 360
• Monocrystalline Solar panels
• Reinforced concrete
• Polyurethane foam
• aerogel
• polycarbonate
• linear actuators
• infra-red sensor
• stainless steel (powder coated)
• stainless steel rods
• Walnut veneer
• compressor
• evaporator
• condenser
• drier

• The Active Layer

The first main problem was that the active layer would melt and reform throughout each year to solve this, i decided to have 2 exits, one on the bottom layer for the summer months and one at the top of the habitat for the winter months, the top layer would need to have a way of finding where the surface was since it would change depending on the time of year.

• Building on Permafrost

Permafrost can provide a solid foundation when it is kept at its natural temperature, however, most buildings release heat and this building in particular will need to have a lot of heat due to the climate. This problem is only getting harder to tackle due to climate change since the top layer of permafrost is beginning to turn into part of the active layer. A solution to this problem could be a cooling system similar to that of a refrigerator but where all the heating is done within the house and all the cooling goes through the permafrost through pipes that are embedded in it this system could both ensure good foundations of the habitat and if there are enough houses, slow the melting of permafrost in a larger area preserving it for future generations.

• Supplying Energy

As previously mentioned, the energy source that i will be using shouldn't emit much if any eat to avoid melting the permafrost layer. The best one in my opinion is solar power the main issue with using solar power is that it is inefficient and it only produces energy during the day. However, if we use monocrystalline solar panels which are relatively modern and the most efficient solar panels currently we can get enough energy. if we store the energy then we will have enough for the days where there is no sun in tundra biomes since there are also days where there are 24 hours of sunlight.

• Supplying Water

The easiest way to collect and distribute water is through the snow which will fall during the winter months. snow water is generally safe to drink so this would be a good solution, i believe that the collection plant should take a lot of snow in which can be distributed to multiple habitats rather than just one.

• Maintaining Temperatures

to maintain temperatures in the habitat, there needs to be a lot of insulation, for the section of the habitat that is just made up of walls, this can be done using polyurethane foam. However, since i want some of the building to be transparent, i will have to use a very good transparent insulating material. Aerogel is the most effective insulator in the world and is more transparent than glass. it is a modern material however, which will make it more expensive.

The shape of my habitat uses curves to lean into the fact that there is a lot of smooth snow layers and the mountainous terrain. i was tempted to make the habitat white, however, this would mean that it would be very hard to find, i wanted my habitat to give the inhabitants the opportunity to have fun in the snow and leave often so it had to be visible to avoid people getting lost. this is why i decided to make the habitat black. the transparent sections of the habitat are used to break up the large amount of black material. there are also accents of walnut wood on the stairs and door.

The entrance on the ground will only be used in summer months when there is no snow above the permafrost layer. for the rest of the year. the main exit will be the elevator, there are 2 elevators, one takes you to the top and one takes you back down, the one that takes you back down is fitted with an infrared sensor which will detect the snow layer and stop right before it so that you are always at the ground. the elevator is large in order to take out heavy machinery such as snowmobiles or sleds as it would be a fun and efficient method of transportation in the tundra. in case of a power outage, there are steps along the incline of the lift up and there is a ladder to get you back down, however this is unlikely to be used.

for the construction, the first thing that needs to be made is the base which will have the refrigeration ensuring stable foundations. piping must be installed first and then the concrete should be poured on top of it. then the walls must be put in place, using steel bars to reinforce the concrete and a mould ot ensure the shape is correct. after the roof has been installed, solar panels must be put on top of it. the elevator system should be installed at the end with the floor divisions and the stairs.

To conclude, i have designed a sustainable and self sufficient habitat for use in the tundra environment. in a tundra, there is a lot of open space and a lot of it is also very flat and expansive this provides a lot of space for building and can help to solve the overpopulation problem currently being faced. through this process, I learnt that there are ways that countries can deal with more snow such as the infrared sensor on the elevator that i mentioned. i also learnt about the use of aerogel as an amazing insulator that could be used in winter or summer months as well as in certain products such as ovens and fridges.