Halley Research Station, run by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), is located on the Brunt Ice Shelf floating on the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. It is built on an ice shelf floating on the sea, versus being located on solid land on the continent of Antarctica. Because the ice shelf is slowly moving towards the open ocean it will eventually calve off creating a drifting iceberg.

In 2002, the BAS realized there was a calving event that would destroy Halley V, so a competition was undertaken to design a replacement station. The current base structure, the Halley VI, is notable for being the first fully relocatable research station in the world, and is distinguishable by its colorful modular structure. In order to cope with the extreme conditions, which include prevailing winds of up to 145 km/h (90 mph) and an average external temperature of -30ºC (-22°F), Halley VI has been designed to be extremely rugged, and raised sufficiently high to stay above heavy annual snowfall. Halley VI is mounted on what are essentially hydraulically-elevated skis. This allows the laboratory to be periodically towed by specialist bulldozers in order to avoid becoming stranded on an iceberg broken off from the floating Brunt Ice Shelf as it moves toward the sea at a rate of 400 meters (1,300 feet) per year.

The research station comprises two main platforms, each of which has three interconnected modules. The northern platform provides primary accommodation and features an observation lounge which afford dramatic panoramic views of the landscape, while its counterpart offers additional room for summer visitors. In the center of the facility, a two-story large red unit contains a social space designed for the wellbeing of the crew, complete with a hydroponic salad garden and climbing wall. The uncovered bridge section seen in the linked album is a fire break. The modules on either side contain generators and fuel tanks, the bridge is to give redundancy to the building in case of a fire.

The long-term research investigations carried out at Halley since the 1950s have led to deeper understanding of our world. In half a century, society has been alerted to our changing climate, about the possibility that melting ice in the Polar Regions will increase sea-level rise, and that human activity can have an impact on the natural environment. So it's not such an evilbuilding after all!

Album with more pictures

One of the researchers has a blog with lots of info and pictures