Mount Washington in New Hampshire is notorious for hosting some of the most extreme, unpredictable weather in North America, once holding the world record for the fastest surface wind speed at 231 miles per hour. Situated at the convergence of three major storm tracks, the peak experiences hurricane-force winds on average 110 days per year, alongside severe icing and sub-zero temperatures. In the 1970s, modernizing the atmospheric research station required engineering that could withstand forces similar to a continuous Category 5 hurricane combined with severe frost heave.
Engineers designed the Sherman Adams Summit Building using thick, cast-in-place reinforced concrete with heavily curved exterior walls to deflect gale-force gusts. To ensure the structure could not be sheared off the summit during historic wind storms, parts of the summit installation were anchored deep into the granite bedrock using massive steel tie-down chains and tension cables embedded in rock anchors. The windows are made of multi-layered bulletproof glass, and instrument towers are heated to prevent ice accumulation from crushing delicate weather sensors.
This bunker-like architecture allows researchers to reside safely at the summit year-round, collecting crucial climate data in an environment as harsh as Antarctica.