EntranceWhat materials are used to build an Arctic trefoil? Walk through the Arctic Trefoil military base
The Russian Ministry of Defense responded to the successfully completed sea trials of the new generation aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford with a virtual tour of our Arctic Trefoil military base.
1. The base is built in the shape of a three-pointed star and consists of numerous structures special purpose, as well as control points, garages, warehouses and an autonomous power unit. Her hulls are painted in color Russian flag. Today, this is the only structure in the world of this scale built at 80 degrees north latitude.
2. “Arctic Trefoil” is located on the island of Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Land archipelago and is the second military facility built in the Arctic for the deployment of air defense units of the Russian Northern Fleet. The first was the Northern Clover military base on Kotelny Island in the New Siberian Islands archipelago.
3. In addition to the main building of the housing and administrative complex, the base includes a power plant; a water treatment plant for 700 tons of water obtained by disinfecting snow; shore pumping station for fuel replenishment; sewerage facilities; heated garages for military equipment. All base buildings are connected by heated covered galleries.
4. Construction of the facility has been underway since 2007, but only in 2015 information about the Arctic Trefoil became available to the press.
5. The only subtle point in this construction was the complete lack of information about how much money this base was built for. Well, our military doesn’t like people delving into such things, but the Americans are not shy about saying that the aircraft carrier cost them almost 13 billion dollars. I would like to believe that the money was not wasted.
6. “Arctic Trefoil” is completely autonomous and provides comfortable accommodation for up to 150 military personnel for a year and a half
The total area of the complex is 14 thousand square meters. If you look at the photo you will understand. what does the term " cold war"may have a completely different meaning...
Last Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense posted on its official website a virtual tour of the newest military base, Arctic Trefoil. This object had previously become the topic of news, naturally attracting public attention, but only now everyone was able to get acquainted with its main features, as well as see the unique structures from the inside.
The Arctic Trefoil base, which got its name due to the original shape of the main building, is located on the island of Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. This is the second such facility deployed in last years at such high latitudes. Previously, the Northern Clover base, located on the island, was put into operation. Boiler room of the New Siberian Islands archipelago.
According to some reports, the possibility of building a base on Alexandra Land became a topic of discussion in the middle of the last decade. A few years after this, the final decision was made and preliminary work began. Construction of the first facilities began only a few years ago. To date, most of the structures of the new base have been built and put into operation. The main achievement of the builders was the construction of the housing and administrative complex - the largest and most important facility of the base.
In addition to the housing and administrative complex on the island. Alexandra Land now houses many other buildings and structures for various purposes. In addition, during the construction work and preparation for it, a a large number of roads and several positions have been equipped to accommodate certain weapons, equipment, etc.
An important feature of construction, which had a corresponding impact on its complexity and duration, was the inability to use building materials, mined near construction sites. All necessary resources needed to be shipped from the mainland. In addition, all structures and buildings received a pile foundation, the use of which is due to the presence of permafrost. Thus, all base facilities, including a large housing and administrative complex, actually hang above the ground.
Taking into account the peculiarities of the local climate, the architects minimized the need to leave the buildings. All main buildings of the base are connected to each other using large number covered insulated passages. Thanks to this, personnel can get to almost any point of the base without going into open spaces. In most cases, the soldier’s path will lie through the housing and administrative complex, located in the center of the base and being its main element. However, all structures have their own exits.
For obvious reasons, the housing and administrative complex of the base aroused the greatest interest of the public and specialists. It is the largest building on Franz Josef Land, and also cannot fail to attract attention with its unusual shape. It should also be noted that this building has become the northernmost permanent building in the world. Finally, it was because of this object that the entire base got its name.
All main premises and facilities of the base are located in a common building of unusual architecture with a total area of 14 thousand sq.m. The housing and administrative complex is a permanent structure on metal piles, consisting of several main elements. The main one is the central structure of an original shape in plan, built in the form of a three-rayed star. It is because of this feature of the complex that the base received the name “Arctic Trefoil”. In the sectors between the “beams” of the central building there are three other buildings. To obtain the required strength characteristics and to solve some other problems, they are made in the form of spherical domes or truncated ellipsoids. The central and side buildings are connected to each other by transitions. All buildings of the complex are painted in the colors of the Russian flag.
During the construction of the complex, the most modern materials were used to retain heat as efficiently as possible and almost completely eliminate energy loss. This allows you to economically consume the fuel needed to maintain the required conditions. For greater convenience of infrastructure maintenance, the complex has a separate technical floor. It houses all the main elements of energy and other infrastructure. This arrangement of communications greatly simplifies their maintenance and repair.
The central building of the housing and administrative complex, in addition to its unusual shape, has some other interesting features. Thus, in order to avoid the accumulation of large masses of snow, a roof of a special design is used. Each of the “rays” of the body has a gable roof. The ridges of three similar roofs converge in the center of the building, forming its highest point. A large glazed area is provided in the central part of the roof, providing illumination of the atrium during daylight hours. The body is divided into four blocks, designated by the letters “A” to “D”. The first three letters of the alphabet are used to designate “rays”; the letter “G” denotes the central block.
Due to the large angles of inclination of the roof, block “G” has five floors, while other elements of the building are characterized by a lower height and, as a result, reduced useful volumes. All available space on the floors is divided into a large number of rooms of different sizes and for different purposes. Most of the available volumes are allocated for residential premises. In addition, the housing and administrative complex has a billiard room, a table tennis room and a greenhouse. In the central part of the body there is Observation deck, from which you can observe the entire territory of the base.
Block “G” has an atrium in its central part. At this point all the corridors of the side blocks, leading to the side platforms, converge. The central vertical support of the atrium serves as a flagpole. At the side walls of the atrium on the ground floor, as the virtual tour shows, there are information stands.
From the side wall connecting blocks “A” and “B” there is a short covered gallery connecting the central building with the administrative block. Like other side elements of the building, this block has the shape of a truncated ellipsoid and is placed on stilts. There are several rows of windows along the perimeter of the curved wall. All available volumes are allocated for various premises for different purposes, etc. On several floors of the administrative block there are command offices, training classrooms and other necessary premises.
Opposite blocks “B” and “C”, the architects placed another round building, dedicated to a medical service block, a cultural and leisure center and property warehouses. The medical block of the base includes a separate doctor’s office, a treatment room, a ward for patients and a dental office. In the same building there is a gym with a variety of sports equipment and an assembly hall that can serve as a cinema. The remaining premises of the block are given over to warehouses for clothing.
The third round building is located between blocks “B” and “A” and is completely dedicated to the task of feeding personnel. It has a kitchen, dining rooms for military personnel, including a separate room for officers, and a food warehouse. The dimensions of the warehouses allow them to accommodate a significant number of supplies, sufficient for the autonomous operation of the entire base for a long time.
With the help of covered passages and galleries, a significant number of other structures for various purposes are connected to the housing and administrative complex. The base has garages and workshops for equipment, warehouses for various purposes, an autonomous power unit with a power plant and boiler room, a water treatment plant, sewerage, etc. To receive fuel and lubricants, a coastal pumping station was built on the island, with the help of which fuel can be pumped directly from tankers to the appropriate warehouses. In addition, a wooden Orthodox chapel was built at the Arctic Trefoil base.
The base infrastructure provides full-fledged service for a garrison of 150 people. Using only its own supplies of food, fuel and clothing available in warehouses, the base can operate normally and solve assigned tasks for 18 months. The only practically unlimited resource of the base is water. It is proposed to extract it by melting snow and then cleaning it. The specifics of the local climate will not leave the base without water.
The main task of the garrison at the Arctic Trefoil base is to provide air defense. Back in 2014, the first air defense formation was deployed on the island of Alexandra Land. During the first few months, soldiers and officers had to be housed in temporary residential buildings and keep equipment in prefabricated garages. To date, permanent structures suitable for long-term operation have been built, which has a positive impact on both the complexity of the service in the special conditions of the Arctic and its results.
The construction of a new base on Franz Josef Land with a full-fledged infrastructure is the most important stage in the development of the Arctic grouping of the Russian armed forces. Having commissioned a number of new facilities, military department received a number of important opportunities that could have a positive impact on various aspects of the defense of the country’s northern borders.
First of all, the emergence of the Arctic Trefoil base with air defense systems led to a strengthening of the grouping of troops in the northern direction. The Arctic is of great interest both to Russia and to many foreign countries, which is why the Russian military needs to take appropriate measures and prepare to protect the interests of the country. The presence of air defense formations in the northern directions helps protect shipping in the region, and in addition, to a certain extent complicates the work naval forces potential enemy during a threatened period or in the event of the outbreak of a real conflict.
In addition to protecting the Northern Sea Route from a military point of view, the new base can participate in ensuring navigation in the region. The permanent presence of the garrison on Franz Josef Land makes it possible to conduct meteorological research, study the movement of ice and other factors that directly affect shipping. By collecting and transmitting data, the military will help maritime transport and secure transport ships.
The construction of a new base shows the fundamental possibility of deploying such facilities even in remote areas with difficult conditions. As a result, with the further use of such opportunities, new military facilities may be built on Franz Josef Land and other archipelagos of the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Trefoil base is responsible for air defense, but it is possible to deploy facilities for other purposes, with the help of which the army will protect the northern borders from various threats.
In just a few years, the Russian Ministry of Defense was able to build two new military bases in the Arctic. To date, both garrisons have begun full service and are completing the tasks assigned to them. The military and political leadership of the country have long ago declared the Arctic a zone of special attention, including in the context further development armed forces. In this regard, in the foreseeable future, new objects similar to the “Arctic Trefoil” or “Northern Clover” may appear on certain islands of the northern seas. The most modern ideas and materials were used in the construction of the two newest bases. The construction of subsequent similar facilities will obviously be carried out taking into account further progress. Thus, even more interesting military installations may appear in the Arctic in the future.
Based on materials from sites:
http://mil.ru/
http://rg.ru/
http://ria.ru/
http://tvzvezda.ru/
Virtual tour of the base:
http://mil.ru/files/files/arctic/Arctic.html
At the northernmost point of Russia, on the Franz Josef Land archipelago, a unique military facility, the Arctic Trefoil, is being built. No one has ever built military facilities of this scale so close to North Pole. Only Russian people are capable of this!-)
© The post uses personal photographs and photographs of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
“Arctic Trefoil” is currently the only capital construction facility in the world being built at 80 degrees north latitude.
Alexandra Land is an island with an area of 1130 sq. km, part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago. During World War II, the island housed a German weather station and a submarine base.
The relevance of Alexandra Land as a military base increased significantly after the creation of the Joint Strategic Command “North” in December 2014, intended to comprehensively ensure the security of the Arctic region of Russia. The three main tasks of this security are the defense of the shelf of the Arctic seas, the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage.
The administrative and residential complex "Arctic Trefoil" is a five-story trefoil, painted in the colors of the Russian tricolor, between the rays of which there are three ellipsoids - the administrative block, the block Catering, as well as a cultural and leisure center combined with a medical care unit.
“Arctic Trefoil” is the second closed-cycle complex being built in the interests of the Northern Fleet in the high-latitude regions of the Arctic. The first residential complex “Northern Clover” was built at 75 degrees north latitude on Kotelny Island in the New Siberian Islands archipelago.
In the center of the trefoil there is an atrium - a multi-light space illuminated through glazing in the roof and stained glass windows located in the side walls. Above the central support of the atrium there is an observation deck protected by translucent structures, which allows visual observation of the main military infrastructure facilities.
In fact, this is a complex for living and working, equal in autonomy space station. The autonomy of the complex will ensure comfortable living and performance of official duties for a group of 150 people for a year and a half.
The total area of the complex is more than 14 thousand square meters.
The residential block in the Arctic Trefoil consists of modules for one, two and three people.
Dining room
Over 800 people work on construction. The construction of the Arctic Trefoil is carried out using innovative and energy-efficient technologies that minimize energy consumption.
The work is being carried out by the legendary enterprise - Spetsstroy of Russia.
The complex is designed in such a way that facilities such as a power unit, boiler room, power plants, sewage treatment plants, warehouses and storage facilities are connected by heated passages, which means that military personnel will not need to go out into the cold, which here reaches minus 52 degrees.
Roads have been paved on the island, and a coastal pumping station has been built and is operating, allowing it to receive fuel from tankers and supply it to the fuel and lubricants warehouse.
Next, we will talk about how the construction of the unique military facility “Arctic Trefoil”, which is located on Franz Josef Land, is progressing. The uniqueness of this structure lies in the fact that for the first time a military facility of this scale is being built so close to the North Pole.
“Arctic Trefoil” is currently the only capital construction facility in the world being built at 80 degrees north latitude.
Alexandra Land is an island with an area of 1130 sq. km, part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago. During World War II, the island housed a German weather station and a submarine base.
The relevance of Alexandra Land as a military base increased significantly after the creation of the Joint Strategic Command “North” in December 2014, intended to comprehensively ensure the security of the Arctic region of Russia. The three main tasks of this security are the defense of the shelf of the Arctic seas, the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage.
The administrative and residential complex “Arctic Trefoil” is a five-story trefoil, painted in the colors of the Russian tricolor, between the rays of which there are three ellipsoids - an administrative block, a catering block, as well as a cultural and leisure center combined with a medical service block.
“Arctic Trefoil” is the second closed-cycle complex being built in the interests of the Northern Fleet in the high-latitude regions of the Arctic. The first residential complex “Northern Clover” was built at 75 degrees north latitude on Kotelny Island in the New Siberian Islands archipelago.
In the center of the trefoil there is an atrium - a multi-light space illuminated through glazing in the roof and stained glass windows located in the side walls. Above the central support of the atrium there is an observation deck protected by translucent structures, which allows visual observation of the main military infrastructure facilities.
In fact, this is a complex for living and working, equal in autonomy to a space station. The autonomy of the complex will ensure comfortable living and performance of official duties for a group of 150 people for a year and a half.
The total area of the complex is more than 14 thousand square meters.
The residential block in the Arctic Trefoil consists of modules for one, two and three people.
Dining room
Over 800 people work on construction. The construction of the Arctic Trefoil is carried out using innovative and energy-efficient technologies that minimize energy consumption.
The work is being carried out by the legendary enterprise - Spetsstroy of Russia. Work is being carried out in the most difficult climatic conditions: squally wind, snowstorm, arctic frost. For the construction of structures, absolutely everything is imported from the mainland along the Northern Sea Route. Delivery is possible only during the summer navigation period - four months a year.
The complex is designed in such a way that facilities such as a power unit, boiler room, power plants, sewage treatment plants, warehouses and storage facilities are connected by heated passages, which means that military personnel will not need to go out into the cold, which here reaches minus 52 degrees.
Roads have been paved on the island, and a coastal pumping station has been built and is operating, allowing it to receive fuel from tankers and supply it to the fuel and lubricants warehouse.
This is one of five garrisons that are currently being built in the northern latitudes. The complex on Franz Josef Land is Russia's northernmost outpost in the Arctic.
Similar towns are planned to be built along the entire northern border of Russia.
The complex was built using advanced energy-saving technologies and is capable of ensuring autonomous operation of personnel for one and a half years...
While the United States is shaking up the air on other continents, throwing away millions of dollars on shelling the Syrian desert and pointless maneuvers near the Korean Peninsula, the Russian Federation continues to develop hard-to-reach places on its territory rich in minerals and works to ensure their safety. For example, in the Arctic, on Alexandra Island, a new military base “Trefoil” was deployed, which became the largest man-made structure at 80 degrees north latitude.
Commissioning of the Trefoil base, the construction of which was announced more than a year ago, the British publication The Times was overexcited, which hastened to declare that “Russia has built the most large building in the Arctic - a military base to seize the polar region, rich in oil." On the one hand, I would like to remind the stupid heirs of the British Empire that Alexandra Island is located in the territory Russian Federation, which became the legal successor of the USSR, has paid off all debts and is free to dispose of this territory at its own discretion. On the other hand, such a publication in one of the most famous publications is the best recognition of Russia’s achievements, not only in the development of the Arctic, but also in the use of the latest technologies.
The Trefoil complex was built using advanced energy-saving technologies and is capable of ensuring autonomous operation of personnel for a year and a half.
The total area of the complex is 14 thousand square meters. On its territory there are living quarters, a cinema, a billiard room, a greenhouse and a chapel. The complex is a reliable shelter from the harsh external environment for personnel, the number of which is about 150 people. The complex is designed in the form of a cloverleaf and allows personnel to move around it without going outside, which is very important in the Arctic, where temperatures can drop to minus 50 degrees.
President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, during his recent visit to the island, Vladimir Putin noted the special importance of the Arctic region for all of Russia. “This region contains the main reserves of a number of important minerals, which are decisive for the development of the Russian economy. The value of minerals in the region is estimated at $30 trillion.”
With climate change opening up new opportunities for mining in northern latitudes, the United States has expressed concern about Moscow's "decisive actions" in the Arctic. Pentagon chief James Mattis, at a recent hearing in the US Congress, called the Arctic a key strategic area and opined that “Russia is taking aggressive steps to increase its presence there.” A strange statement, given the background of how the United States is increasing its military presence anywhere in the world, guided only by its own interests.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin dotted all the i’s in conversations about a possible confrontation in the Arctic: “We are not going to fight or compete here with the United States.” At the same time, he emphasized that Russian armed forces and intelligence agencies must protect national interests in the region.