SYNGEN means permafrost.
Literally, the name "SYNGEN" is a shortened version of the word "syngenetic." Syngenetic is a term used by permafrost enthusiasts (and others who desperately need more friends), to describe a very special kind of permafrost infamous for its unusually high frozen-water content and for the large deposits of clear ground ice it often contains. It is famous for the now-extinct ice-age mammals that it sometimes preserves.
To paraquote a famous permafrost pioneer (thanks again Eb, your memory lives on):
. . . when it comes to permafrost, there's bad permafrost and then there's really bad permafrost.
With regard to supporting a warm foundation: syngenetic permafrost is usually really bad permafrost. Because most buildings in the arctic tend to be heated, and because no matter how well-insulated they are, heat is always lost from the building to its surroundings (including the earth); warm buildings tend to warm the soil over time resulting in thawing of permafrost. If the supporting soils are frozen and full of frozen water (non-thaw stable), heat will thaw them and the water will shrink and drain away, leaving nothing in its place to support the building. The result: damage to the building.
To cope with thaw-sensitive frozen soils, specialized foundation systems are required. Heat transfer between the building and the soil must be eliminated completely. While the majority of homes and other structures unwarily constructed over thaw-sensitive soils suffer only costly (but often manageable) damage, some don't get off so easy as can be seen in the dramatic photo below.
