Happy Alaska Day! We are so fortunate to live, work, and play in the most beautiful place in the world! What is your favorite thing about Alaska?
Indigenous Peoples Day in Alaska We wanted to create a space for those to learn more about Indigenous Peoples Day and why it is important to celebrate this day not just in Alaska, but nationally and globally. Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the past, present, and futures of Native peoples throughout the US. The holiday […]
Spenard Road This much-needed reconstruction of Spenard Road from Hillcrest Drive to 30th Avenue, in Anchorage, Alaska significantly improved vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle connectivity and safety. The project created a road that is safe, welcoming, accessible, and convenient for all users and multiple forms of transportation. The team’s landscape architects provided site planning, landscape, […]
Next Generation Designers & Builders At the beginning of July, I had the pleasure to participate in AIA Alaska Northern Section’s first-ever architecture workshop for kids. The design problem: the perfect tree fort or clubhouse. The solutions: ten incredibly different and creative structures with ladders, hammocks, zip lines, water collection systems, off-grid alternative energy […]
A Whale Raising Exhibit This spring there occurred at the University of Alaska Museum of the North (UAMN) a whale raising. Like a historic barn raising, there was immense preparation, wide participation across many different specializations, and a well-deserved celebration at completion. Unlike a barn raising, the result was a 43-foot bowhead whale skeleton […]
Celebrating Solstice: Daylight & Design Design in Alaska seeks to find a balance amongst many unique Northern conditions and project demands. Daylight is one of those challenging Alaskan conditions that requires a thoughtful, deliberate approach to optimize daylight at the extremes of and in between summer and winter solstices. The continuum that our extreme […]
North Pole Veterinary Hospital, A Renovation and Expansion. Growing out of the space provided by their existing 1980’s facility and site layout, North Pole Veterinary Hospital approached Bettisworth North with a unique design opportunity: to identify a solution to their needs as a vet hospital to include the “Fear Free” pet model. The owners […]
Principal Architect Tracy Vanairsdale was awarded 2020’s Rotarian of the Year from The Rotary Club of Fairbanks. “I’m very humbled and honored to work with my fellow Rotarians and do just a small part to make this community better. I am inspired by the Fairbanks community and everyone at the Rotary Club of Fairbanks. A […]
