Ice Arch

The annual tradition of building an arch dates back to the late 1960′s. Each year since then the engineering students mainly civil Engineers have built an arch, each year picking a new method and new design. In the past, arches have been made piece by piece like stone arches, some have been made of packed snow, others were built up with sprayed on water using a form.

No matter the design or the method, the construction of the ice arch is intended to be a team building exercise, in which students learn how to design and build a real project from start to finish.

To be involved in the 2009-2010 ice arch, contact project manager Bryant Molle at bcmolle@alaska.edu.

I am working on creating a more complete history of Ice Arch. If you are a previous student, or faculty member with stories of old ice arches, please contact Jacob Horazdovsky: jehorazdovsky@alaska.edu

Pictures from previous years’ projects:

2009