New angles shape Alaska's engineering trade.

• Author: Gerhart, Clifford
• Position: Use of computers to meet demands - Includes related article - Industry Overview

Alaska's engineers are tapping technological innovations to meet traditional and new demands for their professional services.

Whether it's designing new harbor facilities in Homer, building a road in Fairbanks or operating an oil rig in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska's engineers pit their experience and skill against the unforgiving northern climate. Cold, ice, permafrost and the endless rocking of the sea call for extraordinary solutions for structures and systems that will perform and endure. In addition to the inherent difficulties of the profession and the natural environment, the engineering trade today faces challenges in funding, recruitment and government regulations.

In much of the 49th state, designs must accommodate periods of extreme cold. To compensate, water systems must be continuously circulating so they won't freeze, and metals and plastics used in exposed applications must be able to withstand sub-zero arctic temperatures. Also, special precautions must be made for building on permafrost, and many types of work must be scheduled for warmer months.

Besides climate extremes, engineering jobs in Alaska often are affected by logistical hurdles that are presented by vast distances and limited road access. Further, the costs of manpower and construction support camps often are higher than for work in other parts of the United States.

"The standards are different. When you're working in the Bush, you have to send your guys out there and get a really good baseline of data. You really have to know your project," notes Dale Merrell, vice president of engineering for Arctic Slope Consulting Group of Anchorage. The division of Arctic Slope Regional Corp. of Barrow specializes in civil, mechanical and electrical engineering; environmental risk management; and regulatory compliance and permitting.

Dan Rowley, regional manager for the Anchorage office of Corvallis, Ore.-based CH2M Hill, adds, "In the Bush, the cost of transport is horrendous, and you don't have a supply of skilled labor. That's why you see so much modular or prefab construction. In Prudhoe Bay, the oil companies use it all the time. They haul these huge components up there on barges and assemble them." CH2M Hill specializes in water and wastewater management, transportation and energy systems, industrial facilities, process systems and environmental engineering.

The lack of a locally available skilled work force in the Bush also influences both design and construction. Plant engineering -- for example, for water-treatment facilities -- often provides redundant systems to compensate for emergencies in which a repair technician may have to be flown in.

Engineers also have been afflicted by Alaska's rollercoaster economy. Rowley estimates that during the years...