BUILDING ON THE EDGE

Saturday, February 21, 1:00 p.m. | Few architects ever have the chance to design buildings for one of the most extreme environments on Earth—Antarctica. BUILDING ON THE EDGE tells the story of one such group of designers. When scientists at NOAA grew frustrated by the poor design quality available within strict government budgets, they took an unconventional leap: they invited the University of Colorado’s Master of Architecture Design/Build class to take on the challenge.  

The students were tasked not only with designing functional structures in a landscape better suited to penguins and seals than humans, but also with navigating a complex logistical puzzle. Their buildings would need to be built in Colorado, disassembled, shipped to Chile, loaded onto a vessel capable of braving the infamous Drake Passage, and finally transferred by rubber raft to the Antarctic coast, where they’d be reassembled on-site. BUILDING ON THE EDGE captures the thrill of design idealism clashing with the challenges of full-scale reality. (ADFF) Dialogue: Erik Summerfield, University of Colorado Boulder, College of Architecture and Planning.

ADFF:CHICAGO 2026 | February 20–22, 2026

The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) and Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), in collaboration with the Gene Siskel Film Center, present ADFF:CHICAGO 2026—an international festival highlighting the best films dedicated to the creative spirit of architecture and design. The program showcases films with both a design focus and a human story for a broad audience of industry professionals, design-conscious consumers, and fans of nonfiction storytelling, with many screenings including filmmaker Q&As.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu