Stantec to partner on Arctic Research Support contract

10-year project to support studies in one of Earth’s most remote and challenging environments

EDMONTON, Alberta and NEW YORK and ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Sept. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global design firm Stantec will support Battelle on a 10-year, US$260-million Arctic Research Support and Logistics Services (ARSLS) contract from the US Government’s National Science Foundation (NSF). The team will provide infrastructure and logistics support to academic researchers conducting NSF-funded studies in Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, and other Arctic areas. Specifically, Stantec will provide engineering, design, and planning services in support of new facilities as well as maintenance of existing facilities to enable research within some of the most remote locations, harsh weather conditions, and difficult terrain on Earth. 

The overall project scope will include the design of infrastructure and facilities in these remote locations. Plans include research facilities, laboratories, and operations centers that will facilitate efficient, effective, and safe research in the Arctic—a region critically important to the global research community. Stantec design features will enable sustainable and resilient facilities operation, including efficient startup and shutdown, reconfiguration and reuse over long lifespans, and remote monitoring/automation. 

Supporting a rare and sensitive environment

Stantec’s work will enable researchers to enhance ongoing studies in the Arctic, helping to advance understanding of the region’s rapidly changing natural environment and social and cultural systems. The Arctic region is among the world’s most sensitive to environmental change—with exceptionally long natural climate records and thousands of years of human settlement— and is a natural laboratory for studying natural, physical, and social sciences.

The ARSLS program focuses on supporting responsible and ethical research while encouraging and respecting all individuals, cultures, and the environment. The research program requires long-term, sustained relations with the local and Indigenous communities across the Arctic. The team will focus on coordination and collaboration with Indigenous cultures and include local community resources.

Stantec’s continued partnership with Indigenous communities

In Alaska, Stantec successfully works with Indigenous groups through formal business partnerships that are focused on Alaska Native employment efforts on major projects and built through connections to Indigenous Peoples in its technical work. The global firm is working toward earning the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) certification from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. PAR provides a framework for organizations to develop an Indigenous Relations approach that is effective, sustainable, and successful.