Canadian High Arctic Research Station

CHARS (Canadian High Arctic Research Station), established by the Canadian Government, advance Canada's knowledge of the Arctic and strengthen Canadian leadership in polar science and technology. CHARS, the new research facility in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, is designed to attract Canadian and international scientists to work on science and technology issues in Canada's North and provide a technology development center, traditional knowledge center, and advanced laboratories. This station is being created to serve the world and engage Northerners in cutting-edge science and technology.

The CHARS project is composed of two distinct but related buildings – the Main Research Building of 4,827 m², housing offices, cafeteria, meeting spaces, teaching spaces, research laboratories, and workshops, and the Field Maintenance Building of 1,685 m², housing a high bay warehouse, seasonal equipment storage, maintenance shops, and the main power plant.

CHARS, a cutting-edge high-technology building for research laboratories and large-scale aquatic and geographic analysis testing and analysis, is designed for the extreme climatic conditions of the Canadian Arctic, as well as to support and reinforce the local community of Cambridge Bay and the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in particular. Due to its remote location, all building components must be sent to the site by boat during the short ice-free shipping season. These criteria have added an enormous cost and complexity to the project.