We are pleased to share the TVE report on Antarctica, a fascinating territory where science, technology, and international cooperation come together to advance our understanding of the planet. In this extreme environment, every infrastructure is essential for the safety and well-being of the personnel who work tirelessly in Antarctic research.

At Gaptek, we are especially proud to have designed and built three of the buildings that make up the base, providing advanced modular solutions capable of withstanding the most adverse conditions. Our technology, based on fast, lightweight, and resilient construction systems, has enabled the creation of functional facilities tailored to the needs of the teams operating in this remote environment.

Collaborating on projects like this reflects our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and supporting scientific missions of global significance. With our expertise in industrialized architecture, we continue to develop solutions that facilitate work in hard-to-reach areas while ensuring the safety and comfort of their occupants.

We are delighted to have contributed to the development of this base and the well-being of those who work there, supporting research in one of the most challenging places on Earth.

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Copyright 2025.

Gaptek specializes in developing sustainable construction solutions, always focused on maximizing performance and minimizing the environmental impact of each project. For the company, material selection is crucial, and aluminum has become one of its main allies. Its lightness, strength, and durability make it an ideal choice over steel, especially for constructions requiring transport efficiency, quick assembly, and low maintenance. In this article, Gaptek shares the reasons why it prioritizes aluminum and how its qualities contribute to their mission of delivering innovative and environmentally responsible structures.

In the next article, the company will delve deeper into aluminum’s energy efficiency and carbon footprint, exploring its role in sustainable construction.

1. Lightweight and Transport Efficiency: Aluminum is much lighter than steel, with a density of only 2700 kg/m³ compared to steel’s 7850 kg/m³. This translates to lighter structures that are easier to transport and assemble, significantly reducing logistical and installation costs. Furthermore, the lower weight of aluminum reduces the foundation requirements, further lowering construction costs without compromising structural stability.

2. Strength and Design Flexibility: Aluminum’s lightness does not compromise its strength. Aluminum offers an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, making it suitable for applications where durability and load-bearing capacity are essential. This combination of lightness and strength enables innovative and efficient structural designs, surpassing traditional steel limitations.

The table 1 shows the values for strength, specific weight, and strength-to-weight ratio of each material. Although aluminum has strength similar to Steel S275 (260 MPa versus 275 MPa), its specific weight is much lower (2700 kg/m³ compared to 7850 kg/m³). This lower weight allows aluminum to achieve a strength-to-weight ratio of 0.096 MPa/kg/m³, significantly higher than both steels: S275 has a ratio of 0.035 MPa/kg/m³, and S355, 0.045 MPa/kg/m³. This indicates that aluminum is far more efficient for applications where reducing weight without compromising strength is essential.

The table 2  presents a direct comparison of aluminum’s strength-to-weight ratio with Steel S275 and S355. We see that, in terms of weight, aluminum is 66% lighter than both types of steel (with a relative weight value of 0.34 compared to 1 in steels). This, combined with its high strength, makes aluminum’s strength-to-weight ratio 2.75 times greater than Steel S275 and 2.13 times greater than Steel S355.

Solar360, Repsol and Telefónica’s joint venture, provides energy supply at the Spanish Antarctic Base Gabriel de Castilla by installing 16 solar panels on the facade of the scientific modules supplied to the Spanish Army between 2016 and 2023 by GAPTEK.

The aim of this project is to allow researchers to continue carrying out their missions in real time from Madrid remotely during the Antarctic winter months characterized by adverse weather conditions.

Since its inception, Gaptek has offered innovative technological solutions such as low environmental impact structures, with -21% of CO2 compared to traditional hangar constructions, energy efficiency, underfloor heating, or the possibility of equipping our buildings with photovoltaic self-consumption panels to continue our commitment to renewable energy.

GAPTEK begins the construction of its new facilities in Massanes, Gerona.

At GAPTEK we continue to grow, and we have started the construction of our new facilities. It is an industrialization and development project near Massanes, Barcelona, led by the company Renta y Rehabilitación and GAPTEK.

It is a logistics warehouse and production center entirely built with our system. It will consist of two-story twin warehouses with offices with a total area of 3,250 m² (35.000 ft²).

We have opted for the development of this new well-connected area, and we will soon move our warehouses and part of the production activity to this new facility.

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Copyright 2023

Gaptek will exhibit at SITL in Paris from the 26th to the 28th of March.

The Transport and Logistics Innovation Week is one of the main logistics exhibitions in Europe, gathering more than 500 exhibitor organizations and 30,000 visitors from a great variety of industries.

Gaptek has performed through a joint venture with Acciona Construcción the implementation of an engine maintenance center in Zaragoza, Spain. 

The engine workshop has been provided to the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR in French) and the end user is the Spanish Air Force of the Spanish Ministry of Defence.