For nearly 15 years, NK Windows has manufactured and supplied custom uPVC systems to Scott Base. Projects commissioned by Antarctica New Zealand and its engineering partners demand exceptional technical performance, precision manufacturing, and absolute reliability.
“Our systems are specified because they deliver superior thermal efficiency and durability — ideally suited to the extreme conditions of Antarctica,” says Martin Ball, Director, NK Windows. “But it’s also our willingness to customise, to design for the impossible, that really sets us apart.”

The key to NK Windows’ success in such a hostile climate lies in the advanced German engineering of aluplast profiles. Their multi-chambered design traps layers of still air within the frame to minimise heat transfer, while high-performance insulation and galvanised-steel reinforcement ensure structural stability even under Antarctic gales and sub-zero conditions. Together, these features maintain stable indoor temperatures, a critical advantage when it’s nearly minus 50 °C outside.
Recent Antarctic work has included transportable scientific huts and upgrades within Scott Base, replacing ageing windows and doors with high-performance uPVC systems. One demanding brief involved a scientific hut at the South Pole used for geomagnetic research, where no metal components could be used to prevent interference with sensitive instruments.
“Everything was prefabricated in Christchurch and shipped south,” explains Ball. “There’s no margin for error — materials must perform perfectly the first time, and as most maintenance can only occur during their short summer season, we have strict production schedules to meet.”