Permafrost Challenges: Designing Long-Lasting Infrastructure in a Changing Climate
Understanding Permafrost Permafrost is one of the defining features of northern Canada. It is ground that remains frozen year-round, sometimes hundreds of meters deep, and it forms the foundation for much of the region’s infrastructure. As an Arctic engineer, I have spent decades working with permafrost, learning to design roads, bridges, and buildings that can […]
Engineering in Extreme Cold: Lessons Learned from the Harshest Worksites
The Challenge of the North Engineering in Canada’s North is not like anywhere else. For over two decades, I’ve worked on ice roads, winter highways, and remote infrastructure projects, often in conditions that test both people and machines. Temperatures can drop below minus 40 degrees Celsius, winds can whip across frozen lakes, and permafrost can […]