Departments/Innovation

By Francesca Eathorne, General Manager – Operations and Communications, Antarctic Heritage Trust

Saving Hillary's Hut

Hillary’s Hut at Scott Base in Antarctica was built for the Commonwealth expedition crossing Antarctica in 1957. Recent conservation work has restored this iconic building, with a little help from BRANZ.

ANTARCTIC HERITAGE Trust’s team of 12 worked more than 5,700 hours to restore Sir Edmund Hillary’s Hut at Scott Base over the 2016/17 summer season. The work started in November 2016 following a campaign to save the iconic building.

Restored in time for 60th anniversary The government and Antarctica New Zealand asked the Trust to take on the care and conservation of the hut, including raising funds for its restoration and long-term main- Raising the New Zealand flag at Scott Base, 20 January 1957. tenance. A conservation plan was launched in 2015, and with extensive logistical support from Antarctica New Zealand, the hut’s conservation was completed in time for Scott Base’s 60th anniversary celebrations in January 2017. ‘Hillary’s Hut is the birthplace of Kiwi leadership in Antarctica. It’s where Sir Ed began his famous tractor trip to the South Pole and is Scott Base’s first building,’ says Nigel Watson, the Trust’s Executive Director.

History of Hillary’s Hut Scott Base was established to enable New – JANE USSHER – JANE Hillary's Hut restored back to its original state. Zealand’s involvement in the Common–­ PHOTO

Build 159 — April/May 2017 — 91 ANTARCTIC HERITAGE TRUST HERITAGE ANTARCTIC ANTARCTIC HERITAGE TRUST HERITAGE ANTARCTIC – Hillary's Hut before major conservation started. – Corrosion was stabilised on the two cast iron stoves. PHOTO PHOTO

wealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, and the International Geophysical ●● Repairing roof leaks. Year. ●● Repairing and reinstating nine chimney flues. In 1957, a five-man construction team began building on 12 January, ●● Painting the interior and exterior of the building. and on 20 January, Scott Base was declared officially open. ●● Upgrading the building’s electrical services and fire alarm system. A party of 23 men, led by Sir Edmund Hillary, then wintered over. Dulux worked with the Trust to recreate the original paint colours Their goal was to lay supply depots from the Ross Sea towards the and gave the restoration team the honour of naming the colours. South Pole for Vivian Fuchs who was crossing the continent from They called the yellow Pram Point after the geographic location of the Weddell Sea. Scott Base and the orange Sno-Cat after the bright orange tracked Hillary’s Hut is situated on the outer southwestern side of the base, vehicles used in Antarctica in 1957. standing separately but visually still a part of the Scott Base buildings. Care was taken to retain and reinstate original building materials By 1989, it was no longer a functional part of Scott Base and was such as trims after the asbestos was removed. Where new material scheduled for demolition. However, there was a growing interest was essential, such as new wall linings to replace the asbestos board, in preserving it, and the hut was moved 40 m towards the shore. modern material was chosen that was as close as possible to the In 2001, the hut was listed as a historic monument, recognising its original finish and appearance. significance in the history of Antarctic exploration. Many challenges to overcome Building conservation programme The project involved diverse challenges. ‘It was difficult to make a Extensive planning and research was undertaken by the Trust in temporary, flat-roofed, lightweight kitset building structurally sound preparation for the conservation work. Faults identified included and weathertight to withstand the harsh Antarctic environment,’ says leaks in the roof, snow ingress into the outer porch, meltwater pooling Project Manager Al Fastier. under the hut, diesel in the flooring and the presence of asbestos. Exterior building work is only possible during summer and prefer- Major conservation work was undertaken: ably during December and January when there is 24-hour daylight ●● Removing the asbestos wall and ceiling linings. and a temperature range of –15 ±5°C. ●● Reconfiguring the cold porch to be historically accurate. The team Artefacts Programme Manager Lizzie Meek says, ‘The extreme removed the 1980s cold porch from the hut, retaining the original weather conditions and cold temperatures can freeze or change the covered walkway for reuse with a new cold porch and junction materials you’re working with, and you can’t exactly pop down to box constructed to the original specifications. your local hardware shop to buy additional materials.’ ●● Upgrading foundation timbers and hold-down cables. Some One unforeseen task included removing a layer of ice discovered 30 anchors to support the hut’s rigging were installed. between the aluminium sheeting and the foam of the original roof. ●● Removing and reconstructing the partitions to the radio room and The asbestos removal also took longer than planned due to the Hillary’s office that were carried out after the hut’s relocation in 1989. amount of scraping required to remove adhered remnants.

92 — April/May 2017 — Build 159 The mess was repainted in its original colours and the artefacts conserved. TRUST HERITAGE – ANTARCTIC PHOTO

BRANZ providing advice BRANZ is assisting the Trust’s conservation work by analysing and reporting on the climatic conditions on the ‘heroic era’ explorer bases the Trust cares for, as well as Hillary’s Hut. The findings will guide conservation efforts by providing informa- tion on the locations in the building where the climatic conditions need improving to preserve the artefacts. For more Further images and time lapse footage of the hut’s restoration can be viewed at www.nzaht.org.

Building basics Hillary’s Hut is a rectangular structure with a flat roof, measuring 11.9 m long by 6.1 m wide and standing 2.7 m high.

THE HUT was originally constructed of stressed skin panels, comprising a light timber frame with an outer layer of aluminium, a ¼ inch layer of fireproof asbestos and a sandwiched core of gas-expanded ebonite. The asbestos layer has now been removed. All floor, wall and roof panels are joined by long steel rods that pass through the panels from end to end of the building. The building is anchored into the ground by steel cables. There are five main spaces in the hut – mess room, radio room, Sir Edmund Hillary’s room, kitchen and cold porch. The original exterior colour scheme was yellow for the panels with orange battens and trim. The bright colours helped pilots to spot Scott Base easily when they flew in. Architect Frank Ponder wrote that the bright colours throughout the hut ‘are used in an endeavour to contrast the ice conditions outside’.

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