Award-winning colour scheme for Antarctic icon

Award-winning colour scheme for Antarctic icon

Photo credit Tim McPhee

In the whitest white of an Antarctic snow storm, finding shelter fast can be the difference between life and death. In 1957, the intense orange and yellow of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Hut at New Zealand’s Scott Base was a beacon to those caught out by the weather.

Hillary’s Hut, also known as the TAE/IGY Hut, was the first building erected at Scott Base. It was only recently returned to those original colours and last night won the International category of the 31st annual Dulux Colour Awards in Melbourne.

Antarctic Heritage Trust Executive Director Nigel Watson says they’re delighted.

“The award celebrates an iconic site and is recognition of the extreme lengths we went to, with Dulux, to recreate the original paintwork. This started with the careful stripping of the outer paint layers to reveal the original Berger colours and then working with Dulux to create an exact match.”

The Trust’s team had the honour of naming the exterior colours mixed to match the originals:

· Pram Point – the yellow is named after the geographic location of Scott Base

· Sno-cat – after the orange tracked vehicles used on the Trans-Antarctic Expedition

The painting was undertaken as part of the Antarctic Heritage Trust’s conservation of Hillary’s Hut. Almost 600 artefacts were also conserved with the work completed in time for Scott Base’s 60th anniversary in January of this year.

The Trust’s Programme Manager Al Fastier says the restoration was an enormous undertaking.

“Painting in sub-zero conditions was a major challenge, with wind chill or storm conditions often making it impossible to work outside. With persistence and cold fingers, the team achieved a remarkable transformation - even using brushes rather than rollers to replicate a 1950’s finish.”

Sir Edmund Hillary led the establishment of Scott Base and ‘wintered over’ in the hut as part of New Zealand’s involvement with the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition and the International Geophysical Year. The hut was repainted green, along with the rest of Scott Base, in 1965/66.

Nigel Watson says returning Hillary’s Hut to its original retro colours not only reflects its history, it makes a visible statement.

“The bright, retro colours mean Hillary’s Hut stands out among the almost exclusively modern, green-painted buildings of Scott Base, drawing attention to its unique standing as the birthplace of Scott Base”.

In addition to the exterior, the five main spaces inside the hut – mess room, radio room, Sir Ed’s room, the kitchen and cold porch – were all repainted in a multitude of colours, as specified on the original architectural plans.

The Dulux Colour Awards are Australasia’s premier showcase of inspirational colour application in built environments.

ENDS

Visit nzaht.org to view additional photos and videos of Hillary’s Hut's restoration.

Background: Antarctic Heritage Trust

The Antarctic Heritage Trust is a New Zealand-based not-for-profit with a vision of ‘Inspiring Explorers’.

Through its mission to conserve, share and encourage the spirit of exploration the Trust cares for the remarkable expedition bases of early Antarctic explorers including Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton and Sir Edmund Hillary.

It shares the legacy of exploration through outreach programmes and encourages the spirit of exploration through expeditions to engage and inspire a new generation.

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