Polaris Hotel

The former Polaris Hotel, a historic multi-story building in downtown Fairbanks, had become a major environmental and public safety concern. Under contract with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, NORTECH partnered with the City of Fairbanks to evaluate site conditions, identify hazards, and guide safe demolition planning.

Our team conducted a hazardous building materials assessment and data gap analysis to establish a prioritized list of environmental and physical risks, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), household chemicals, universal wastes, and unsecured openings that created airborne and physical exposure hazards. Working within regulatory and budgetary constraints, NORTECH developed a strategic plan to reduce liability and ensure responsible use of available resources.

We then implemented targeted remediation measures, including removal of hazardous and universal wastes, securing window openings, and addressing public health concerns such as an active avian infestation. These actions reduced immediate risks to the community and advanced the building toward safe demolition, with nearly all non-integral hazardous materials removed and demolition progress reaching 60%. Through this work, NORTECH supported the City of Fairbanks in transforming a long-standing blight into a safer space ready for future redevelopment.