What does it take to design buildings for one of the most extreme environments on Earth and where people may live in isolation for months at a time?

In this episode of Extreme Living, I speak with architect Hugh Broughton, whose work has helped redefine how we design research stations in Antarctica. Best known for the Halley VI Research Station, Hugh’s work marked a shift from buildings designed purely for survival toward environments that consider long-term human habitability and wellbeing.

• We explore how architecture responds when failure is not an option, what it means to design on a moving ice shelf, and how logistics, prefabrication, and environmental constraints reshape the entire design process.

• The conversation also looks beyond engineering challenges to the human experience of confinement and isolation. From sensory deprivation to the importance of small spatial gestures like light, smell, circulation, and quiet spaces, Hugh explains how architecture can support both community and individual resilience in places where the interior effectively becomes an entire world.

• Together, we discuss what lessons polar architecture might offer other extreme environments from space missions to other forms of long-duration isolation.

About the guest

Hugh Broughton is an architect whose work focuses on designing buildings for some of the most remote and environmentally demanding places on Earth. As founder of Hugh Broughton Architects, he has been involved in the design of several polar research stations, including the Halley VI Research Station in Antarctica, a project that helped redefine how architecture supports long-term human habitation in extreme environments.

His work explores the intersection of climate, logistics, and human experience, developing buildings that must function reliably in isolation while supporting the wellbeing of the people who live and work within them.

Learn more about Hugh’s work:

https://www.hbarchitects.co.uk⁠