Offseason Vertical Construction: Construction companies, engineers, project managers, and architects stay busy in winter months.

• Author: Mottl, Judy
• Position: CONSTRUCTION

October in Alaska is one of the busiest months of the year for the vertical construction industry.

The October-November timeframe marks the arrival of winter and the offseason for vertical construction. It also shuts the door on most outdoor building. The final weeks of fall for construction workers, engineers, project managers, and architects are a mad dash to hit project deadlines so spring and summer build tasks stay on schedule.

In Anchorage, the offseason typically hits in early November. In Interior Alaska, it comes a bit earlier, in October.

According to the Farmer's Almanac, offseason temperatures this year are expected to be milder than normal, with the coldest periods occurring in early- to mid-January and early February.

A mild winter presents the opportunity for a longer exterior-build timeframe, even in the offseason, which is good news for Alaska's construction industry, one of many industries in Alaska to feel the pinch of continued drops in spending.

While some sector projects, including healthcare and national defense, are on the uptick, the majority of construction spending is headed downward, according to the "2017 Alaska's Construction Spending Forecast" by Scott Goldsmith and Pamela Cravez of the Institute of Social and Economic Research at UAA, written for the Construction Industry Progress Fund and the Associated General Contractors of Alaska. The total value of construction spending "on the street" in Alaska in 2017 is forecast to reach about $6.5 billion, down 10 percent from 2016, according to the report.

The good news is the decline will be somewhat less than last year because federal spending, in the form of grants, is expected to increase, especially for transportation and sanitary projects, as well as nonprofit housing and healthcare facilities.

What's in Play

Weather predictions are critical for the building industry given the starring role weather plays in Alaska-based construction.

In fact, Watterson Construction, which began as a small general contracting business in 1981, highlights its knowledge and understanding of Alaska's unpredictable climate and its ability to combat hazardous sub-Arctic conditions on its website. That said, the company, which has handled 200 commercial construction projects throughout the state--from office buildings to retail stores to military support facilities--hasn't often faced big offseason winter-related challenges, though this past winter was not the norm.

"Most years we...