The Halley base is where scientists discovered the ozone layer hole Architects who fancy a challenge have been asked to put their ingenuity to the test against some of the harshest conditions on the planet. With a site 10,000 miles from the UK on a 150m-thick shelf of floating ice, designing a new base for the British Antarctic Survey is no picnic. It must be able to house 52 staff in comfort despite icy cold and wind. BAS and the Royal Institute of British Architects hope the √Ǭ£19m project will inspire architects across the world. Work to construct the winning design, to be announced in September 2005, will have to be completed within the two-month Antarctic summer. All materials, workers and supplies will have to be brought as close as possible by ship before being loaded onto sledges for the final part of the journey. The project will be funded by a government grant.   You have 55 days of complete darkness, 10 months of winter and temperatures of -5C in summer to -30C in winter The complex must be self-sufficient, have minimal impact on the pristine Antarctic environment and house instruments for BAS's research into the environment and climate change. "It is cold, windy and completely flat. It's very beautiful under certain circumstances - or it can be grey and unpleasant or blowing a 'hooley' with an associated white-out, in which case everyone stays indoors. "You have 55 days of complete darkness, 10 months of winter and temperatures of -5C in summer to -30C in winter." Sounds like they need some Chromo action ... Source: BBC News