Frozen Wasteland Cocoons--East Ongul Island, Antarctica

Forbes: Extreme-Climate Homes

Location: Antarctica

Outdoors, the thermometer reads 80 below and the winds whirl at 120 mph. Indoors, it’s toasty warm.The ultimate in form following way behind function, these Antarctic boxes are also wrapped in a “single shell,” with features to withstand the most unforgiving climactic conditions on the planet. Hardened at Japan’s Showa Station, near the northern part of Antarctica, Misawa Homes’s extreme-climate construction skills have evolved to include designs that the firm claims are built to withstand 100 years of Antarctic punishment.

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Extreme-Climate ... Unrelenting winter nights and endless summer days. Temperatures that can plummet to 120 below or more. Snow, ice, and rock. There are few environments on earth more hostile than the frozen Antarctic wastelands. But even with winds of up to nearly 200 mph, it’s not impossible for people to survive in the coldest place on the planet. In fact, humans are able to live in almost every world climate, driest deserts and densest jungles included—and it helps if you’ve got the right kind of shelter.

Check out these 10 extreme-climate homes from around the world.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Frozen Wasteland... Location: Antarctica

Outdoors, the thermometer reads 80 below and the winds whirl at 120 mph. Indoors, it’s toasty warm.The ultimate in form following way behind function, these Antarctic boxes are also wrapped in a “single shell,” with features to withstand the most unforgiving climactic conditions on the planet. Hardened at Japan’s Showa Station, near the northern part of Antarctica, Misawa Homes’s extreme-climate construction skills have evolved to include designs that the firm claims are built to withstand 100 years of Antarctic punishment.

(Image Courtesy of Forbes)

More From Forbes:
Incredible High-Tech Homes
America’s Prettiest Towns
Amazing High-Rise Balconies

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Arctic Refuge On... Location: Northern Quebec

When building on permafrost in northern Quebec, non-profit group Archimede Systems had to take into account the melt-and-freeze cycles of the seasons, the need to insulate heat, prevent condensation, and the necessity to keep the home from melting into the icy ground during a thaw. Answer? Stilts. What few pods were built above the Arctic Circle, in the Inuit town of Kangiqsujuaq, remain in use today, despite almost 30 years of unforgiving weather. “Due to the limited air circulation between outside wall and these boxes, condensation always forms, freezes and thaws with fungus quickly thriving,” says Jacques B. Poirier, the founder of Archimede, which uses rhombic dodecahedrons as its core design structure, lending a rounded look to the company’s homes. All Archimede houses have an underfloor cavity that is always pressurized with warm air, and a series of tiny holes punched next to the outside wall encourages a slow diffusion of warmer air that prevents condensation and fungus development.

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Sonoran Desert A... Location: Sonoran Desert

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Sonoran Desert A... Desert life is hard. Dust, heat, scorpions – all are a daily routine for desert dwellers. That is, unless you live in this impressive 19-acre Scottsdale estate where the Sonoran Desert pushes its way back in. With a three-hole golf course, a baseball diamond, game room, music room and wine room, this five-bedroom adobe-style homestead tempers its harsh surroundings with luxury amenities. But while the sprawling home offers cool respite from the desert elements, it never feels out of place, with a facade that blends seamlessly into its environment. Towering saguaro cacti stand guard at the front of the home. The home is on the market for $11.7 million.

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Iporanga Jungle ... Location: Rainforest near São Paulo

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Iporanga Jungle ... Chimps have got it figured out: if you’re going to live in a rainforest, it’s better to be perched up in the trees. Brazilian architecture company, Nitsche Arquitetos Associados, designed this home in the thick forest outside São Paulo in 2006. Five bedrooms on the top level of this three-story home provide both a high lookout from which to survey the surrounding jungle, and privacy due to the height. But the main level is unquestionably the main attraction of the home, with a hyper-modern living room, dining room, and kitchen. Structural elements, such as I-beams, are as exposed as the residents within. Though much of the home is made of steel, glass and concrete, the house never feels out of place, thanks to the way in which outside foliage plays a central role in the design scheme.

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Finnesko 13: Ale... Location: Aleutian Islands

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Finnesko 13: Ale... This eco-smart bunker is built to withstand the harsh Aleutian Island environment while using as much energy and water as it produces. Though the home doesn’t actually exist yet (it's still in the design phase) its ingenious design won the Living Aleutian Design Competition, which asked architects to design a home that was net-zero water and energy usage, and made use of locally-sourced materials. In an environment that brings frequent 100-mph winds and punishing rains, the concept home would hunker down against the elements, drawing heat from geothermal sources below, and energy from wind turbines that harness the elements. Architecture collective Taller Abierto won the contest in May, and along with it $35,000 plus the opportunity to follow up and actually build a home in Atka, Alaska.

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Avenel House--Ce... Location: Australian Outback

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Avenel House--Ce... In the southeastern corner of Australia’s rugged, arid interior, there’s a house that feels like a spaceship landed in the middle of nowhere. Ultra-modern in appearance, the Avenel House hugs the earth below and was built with the landscape and weather conditions in mind. Wind and sun pound away, and the house's curved edges takes it all in stride. The home is located in Central Victoria, 1.5 hours north of Melbourne, planted in the sparsely-populated Outback, Australia’s vast dry interior. Designed by Paul Morgan Architects in Melbourne, the house sits smack-dab in the middle of what the company’s web site describes as “an exposed rural setting.” It’s a desert-dweller’s concrete and glass dream, each room spilling out to an empty landscape.

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