British-designed research base up for prestigious award

The Halley VI research centre in Antarctica, designed by British architects Hugh Broughton Credit: World Architecture Festival 2013/PA Wire

A British-designed portable research station created for Antarctic scientists has become the unlikely nominee for a global architecture award.

The Halley VI centre - which few fans of design will ever get to see unless they venture to the Antarctic wilderness - is among the nominees for the World Architecture Festival Awards 2013.

Alongside the organic streamlined shapes of many of the other nominees the research base looks oddly functional, but it hides an ingenious feature.

The series of four-legged pods stand on hydraulic feet and can be raised and lowered to keep them above the rising snow and moving ice. The feet are also fitted with skis allowing maximum manoeuvrability.

The design, by architect firm Hugh Broughton for the British Antarctic Survey, has been nominated in the "higher education/research" section of the awards.

There are a total of 29 categories for which buildings will compete in Singapore in October.

Here are some of the other designs:

The Blue Planet designed by 3XN in Copenhagen, Denmark Credit: World Architecture Festival 2013/PA Wire
The L'Avenue Shanghai designed by Leigh & Orange in Shanghai, China Credit: World Architecture Festival 2013/PA Wire
The Heydar Aliyev Centre designed by British-based Zaha Hadid Architects in Baku, Azerbaijan Credit: World Architecture Festival 2013/PA Wire
The Kontum Indochine Cafe designed by Vo Trong Nghia Architects in Kontum City, Vietnam Credit: World Architecture Festival 2013/PA Wire
The Emporia designed by Wingardh Arkitktkontor AB in Malmo, Sweden Credit: World Architecture Festival 2013/PA Wire