Winter construction in Alaska: working through weather challenges.

• Author: Cottrell, Paula
• Position: Special section: BUILDING ALASKA

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Historically, large scale construction projects in Alaska would shut down during the winter months. This trend changed in the early 1990s when the demand for new construction forced companies to rethink how to quickly, safely and effectively construct buildings that are not only designed to meet their clients' needs, but could withstand every force Alaska's sub-Arctic weather has to offer. Record cold temperatures and snow falls this winter have provided their challenges to many people working outdoors in Alaska, but it has not stopped construction on several large scale commercial projects across the state.

Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center (ANHC) Strategic Initiatives Director Joan Fisher can hardly contain her excitement over the progress of the new ANHC facility being constructed on C Street between International and Tudor roads. The ANHC is a clinic structured to serve all individuals with or without insurance. In addition to its sliding fee payment schedule, ANHC offers health care to the homeless and it is the largest HIV/AIDS practice in the state of Alaska.

As the former ANHC executive director, Fisher resigned that position to work solely on the construction of the state-of-the-art building that will bring the Fairview clinic and the administrative offices to one single location.

"Transitioning into one location has been a long-time goal of the ANHC. I have been with the organization for 13 years and we have been working on this project at least that long. There is a strong need in our community for more cost effective health care and we are here to provide it," Fisher says.

By combining administrative offices with the clinic, ANHC will allow for a more efficient work flow and delivery system that will benefit staff and patients alike.

One of the biggest challenges for ANHC was finding a location for its main facility, according to Fisher. The selected site had some challenges, starting with the land on which they wanted to build. Extremely marshy, Roger Hickel Contracting, the general contractor overseeing the project surcharged the site with more than 55,000 tons of gravel. This two-step process was performed in 2009 and 2010 to prepare the site for construction in the early spring of 2011.

For the structure to be enclosed before the winter months, construction had to begin early.

PLANNING VITAL

Roger Hickel Contracting Senior Project Manager Thomas Ojala says planning was the key. "We were able to get...