Igloos for penguins in Antarctica?

There are professions that are particularly creative. This certainly includes architects. Again and again we are surprised by outstanding ideas, but also by projects that go to the limits of what is feasible. Architects and designers create proposals that construct and organize new ways of living, working and playing. “ArchDaily,” the platform for architecture, showed projects on its website last week that were never built. “ArchDaily” is the most visited architecture website in the world, with over 500,000 readers per day and approximately 160 million page views per month.

One of the most extraordinary ideas was created by the Iranian architect Sajjad Navidi, apparently a penguin fan. Extreme weather conditions require site-specific architectural approaches. From sandy deserts to cold, icy climates, the way we build is closely tied to location. Sajjad Navidi is all about accommodations for penguins. However, it was not possible to find out at the present time whether they would enjoy it.

Sajjad Navidi’s design represents an innovative system to help raise penguins while controlling the melting of polar ice in Antarctica. The project was conceived as part of a competition launched by the French organisation “Fondation Jacques Rougerie”. Navidi’s “Penguin Protection System” reached the finals and placed 7th among the top 12 projects in the category “Innovation for the Sea”.

The curated selection of the best unbuilt architecture focused on different typologies in hot and cold climates around the world. They come from a range of businesses and local contexts and represent suggestions submitted by the “ArchDaily” community. They’re exploring everything from generative design to a desert shelter in Siwa and a series of igloo habitats for penguins in Antarctica.

PolarJournal is following the igloo project in Antarctica and we are curious to see if the penguins will let themselves be civilized and move in!

Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal