Converse Hall – University of Vermont

Exterior Building Enclosure Evaluation
Burlington, VT

Converse Hall (circa 1895) is a six-story dormitory at the University of Vermont (UVM) and is listed on the State Register of Historic Places. The building consists of an exterior veneer of gravity-loaded, non-reinforced marble blocks applied directly to a multi-wythe masonry back-up wall. The predominant roof covering throughout is slate shingles. The anodized aluminum windows are not original to the building.

Infrared Building Scan Image

UVM requested Gale to conduct an evaluation of the condition of the building’s exterior enclosure components with recommendations for repair, restoration and/or replacement.  Gale performed the following services:

• Gale determined the tops of gable walls were deteriorating, and required rebuilding;   several stone finials were removed by hand during the evaluation; complicating the process was asbestos-containing mastic previously applied to stone assemblies
• Design documents included rebuild details where tops of walls are being catalogued by scanning, disassembling, abating, and reassembling in accordance with structural augmentation requirements
• Design included full replacement of slate and copper roofing assemblies, driven by inadequate previous repairs and age of flashings
• Windows have been designed to be weatherized throughout to improve operation, weather protection and performance