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Houses on stilts

from the audio walk Longyearbyen Audiowalk – Start City Center

Price: 19.99 €
Longyearbyen Audiowalk – Start City Center
48 Stations
68:08 min Audio
11.35 km directions_walk favorite 9
Houses on stilts

All buildings in Longyearbyen share a unique feature – none of them have basements due to the permafrost.
To prevent thawing, cooling coils are installed for heavy-load structures, while most buildings rest on long poles. Drilled into the ground, these poles, some reaching 16 m deep, allow air circulation and prevent the structure from melting into the permafrost. Buildings are in constant motion due to frost heaves, but adjustments can prevent collapse. UNIS employs hydraulic pressure plates to monitor frost heave across the settlement, hidden behind wooden facades that deter animals.


Listen to the audio tour now - ideally in full screen view.

Or use the app for listening to the audio walk on site:

1
Install guidemate app Available in the app & play stores.
2
Open audio guide (in installed app) More guides available
3
Start the tour on site! Audio, map & infos - also available offline.

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