What surprised me is how ordinary much of the construction is - lots of it looks similar to things I’ve seen in the Midwest. The collection of doors struck me the most - some of those doors were just normal doors, others looked like a walk in freezer.
Part of that may be a complex construction may work better, but a simple one can be repaired on site by those who are there.
Most of the main station (exterior) doors are walk-in style. The same goes for most of the scientific outbuildings. A lot of the smaller outbuildings, like the climbing gym, have relatively "normal" doors.
There is a lot of wood construction, because it insulates well, it's light (extremely important for cheap construction), there's no moisture to speak of, and it's easily repaired. A lot of the walls are wood with a ton of insulation and metal cladding [0]. The windows are beefy, though weirdly they were designed in with metal frames which I imagine leak a lot of heat. Most of the interior construction feels somewhere between a corporate and a university space. It was built by government and defense contractors, so there is also a bit of a barracks feeling about it too.
McMurdo has them, but the general store accepts cards. I don't think the bars accept cards and tipping for volunteer services (e.g. barristas) is quite common. Pole does not (it's cash only). And then there's Palmer which is card only. Most contractors can "widthdraw" money out of their paychecks to get a periodic stipend while they're down there, otherwise you have to take out a big wad in McM to last the summer/winter (e.g. scientists usually can't because we're paid by universities, not USAP).
I can't say I'm shocked. Effectively cities probably tend to function like cities in a lot of places. I assume something like an aircraft carrier might be different but I wouldn't even bet against ATMs there.
Part of that may be a complex construction may work better, but a simple one can be repaired on site by those who are there.