As if construction were not difficult enough in the icy wilderness of Svalbard—an archipelago halfway between Norway and the North Pole—concerns about the global coronavirus pandemic have postponed plans by Oslo architecture firm Snøhetta to move forward with a sleek visitor’s center and exhibition space at the main island’s Global Seed Vault, which stores the world's preeminent seed collection.

Vault是一个雕刻到斯瓦尔巴州斯瓦尔巴德的主要沉淀附近的永久冻土下的山地基地的安全空间，人口为2,368。其种子收集是粮食作物和农业品种的遗传格库，包括覆盖5,000种植物物种的100万种样品。这座金库于2008年开业为世界各地的基因银行的反向击，储存植物遗传资源，因人造或自然灾害而导致生物多样性损失的威胁。

Snøhetta, which has worked previously on Svalbard with engineers at Olav Olsen to build service buildings for receiving seed shipments at the vault, has plans for a visitor center and 60-ft-tall curving cylindrical composite, dual-chambered exhibition and lecture hall叫弧。这两个建筑物将通过玻璃走道连接;所有人都会在桩上穿过永久冻土土壤驱动到基岩。该结构本身考虑到Svalbard等建设的特殊要求和挑战，并将取决于预制和预制材料和碎片。

Covid-19现在有斯塔西斯的项目，Snøhetta高级建筑师朱莉艾尔斯说。“斯瓦尔巴德被努力打击，因为旅游业已经下降。在那里有点艰难，“她说。群岛是遥控器，但它确实接受了访客，目前人们无法访问拱顶。

安排土地，建立批准和项目融资的北极记忆伙伴关系将需要更好的财务状况为弧线继续前进，但她说，虽然她仍然乐观。

Engineers face special construction challenges on Svalbard even in more normal times, says Audhild Storbråten, a geological engineer and project leader at Hæhre Arctic, a Norwegian specialty contractor. The firm worked with Snøhetta to develop basic principles for the foundation and construction of The Arc and has done restoration work on the Global Seed Vault itself. The $10-million original vault received a $22-million upgrade in 2017 to further waterproof and secure the space after its entrance tunnel was flooded. Additionally, unexpected and abnormally warm temperatures had melted some of the permafrost around the entrance.

The problem of a melting permafrost has been accounted for in construction, Aars and Storbråten say, as the layer must be insulated against heat coming from any structure. A building set on melting permafrost can run into structural problems quickly. “Earlier one could design with friction piles frozen into the ground. These days due to climate changes it is more common to design with end-bearing pile foundations into the bedrock,” Storbråten says.

Meltwater and surface water are crucial influences. Should The Arc press ahead, the conical volume will be set on piles for all direct load support; gravel fill will be placed under and around it, allowing passive cold air to ventilate the space. This prevents transfer of heat from the warmer interior of the exhibit space to the frozen ground.

大部分玻璃，交叉层压木材，钢和包层将形成电弧的钢材将是远离斯瓦尔巴堡的预先制造的，并在现场组装。“如果任何休息或未占，交货时间可能很长，”Storbråten说。