Alaskan Construction
There are special considerations for building in Alaska. The tundra presents an engineering challenge.
Tundra construction
Most of the ground in the state of Alaska has permafrost underneath the tundra. This can cause structures to bend and heave with the seasons. Also if a building or structure is allowed to heat the permafrost around it the structure will sink.
This picture shows the type of permafrost across Alaska (Alyeska pipline).
This is picture from the IPY website showing a sinking house.
The Alaska Pipeline is a good example of the consideration permafrost during construction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permafrost).
The heat pipes seen coming out of the ground are used to disipate heat so that the effect on the permafrost is minimized(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permafrost).