More than 100 fibreglass igloos developed by Tasmanian business Ice Wall One have been sent to Antarctica since 1982, to be used as human living quarters on the icy continent.

A further 100 or more are scattered across the rest of the world, being used for various purposes such as birdwatching or as internal office meeting rooms.

North-West company Penguin Composites, which has been commissioned to make igloos to order since 2003, makes up to 15 every year.

The original igloo was designed by artist Malcolm Wallhead.

Anthea Wallhead said her husband, who died in 2000, had always wanted to design an "escape cabin".

"He designed it in the 1970s when he was living in England, and then he moved to Tasmania in 1976 and started doing some fibreglass sculptures," Mrs Wallhead said.

"He wanted to design an escape cabin which could be put into remote areas, and be completely isolated but still be comfortable and warm," she said.

"The plan was saved in his design ideas but he never had the finance to build one, and then the Australian Antarctic Division gave him the opportunity to make one."

The first prototype igloo was taken down on the ship Nella Dan in November 1982.

"I helped make the very first one and we didn't have the chance to insulate that one, but it is still being used in Antarctica somewhere, just as a storage cabin," Mrs Wallhead said.

"They [the cabins] withstand minus 50 degrees, will tolerate extreme weather conditions, have basic insulations and obviously need some sort of heating to keep them warm," she said.

"They are designed so they can be packaged in a crate for delivery anywhere in the world, and can be assembled in remote areas, and strung up underneath a helicopter to be flown to their locations."

Mrs Wallhead said the igloos were generally three metres in diameter and two metres high, had four double-glazed windows, and came fully equipped with beds, tables and benches.

She said some igloos were being made up to six metres long, and existing igloos could be extended by connecting tunnels.

Penguin Composites manager David Mercer said the igloos were made from moulds that took up to 12 hours to complete.

He said the finished product was quite roomy.

"I've spoken to a few scientists who have provided positive feedback," Mr Mercer said.

"For a standard unit, there is about 14 pieces, which all stand up and are bolted together," he said.

"They can be put together on a ship, which would probably take a couple of hours, and then are picked up and flown on to the site.

"The straps that hook up to a helicopter then become tie downs, and get pinned to the ice so the igloos can't blow away."

Mrs Wallhead said the igloos were also being used by mining companies, complete with air conditioning, as birdwatching observation units and for weather monitoring.

"A dog-sledding team from Iceland is looking to purchase one ... there are four or five inquiries on the go at the moment," she said.

"For a small business in Tasmania to be selling to over 140 institutes and organisations all around the world, it is definitely an achievement."