Wired’s July issue has an article on the construction of a new building at the South Pole. Consider the logistics of building a normal house at the South Pole, getting the supplies there, dealing with weather. Now consider the fact that the original, 1956 station is sitting somewhere under 30 feet of ice. The current central station’s dome is slowly being crushed by snow. The new design is raised, to avoid snow drifts, and can be lifted up to counter the sinking that is occuring.