Duke University K4 Dormitory

Building Enclosure Commissioning
Durham, North Carolina

Gale was engaged by Hanson Professional Services to provide building enclosure commissioning services for a new 4-story 80,000 sf dormitory building at Duke University.  Services included review of the architect’s design at 60% and 95% milestones, preparation of an enclosure commissioning specification, review of enclosure-related submittals and shop drawings.  Quality assurance site visits and testing of air and water infiltration and mock-up and in situ window and curtain wall installation.  Gale also provided documentation at the end of the project to assist the commissioning agent in compiling LEED® certifications.

This project involved construction of masonry walls with brick and stone veneer and a steep slope roof with metal decking and slate roofing to match the existing campus architecture.  Gale worked closely with the commissioning agent, as well as with the architect (William Rawn Associates, Boston, MA) and the construction manager (SKANSKA) to coordinate enclosure commissioning requirements, testing schedules, site visit schedules and LEED® documentation activities.

Gale’s services allowed for verification of window-wall and curtain wall performance using industry standard protocols, per AAMA and ASTM.  Air and water infiltration was tested and the tests revealed some issues that permitted identification and correction.

The result of this project was a new facility with an abbreviated punch list and a tight building enclosure.  This was the first building enclosure commissioning activity that Duke University had requested and the value of this service was acknowledged by the University.