On paper, it must have seemed like a perfect match. Champlain College needed more student housing, and in the middle of downtown Burlington, Vermont, there sat an aging, city-owned parking lot, ripe for replacement with a modern apartment building. The only problem was the central location. Overhead power lines, and buildings in close proximity meant that construction would have to occur in close quarters — a difficulty compounded by the building’s design, which includes 600 exterior windows.
General contractor HP Cummings Construction Company and sub-contractor Optimum Building Systems & Management, Inc. were staring down a difficult, time-consuming job, until GP Gypsum representative Kurt Ouellette proposed a solution: the DensElement™ Barrier System with AquaKOR™ Technology. Its proprietary formulation integrates the gypsum core and fiberglass mat into a hydrophobic, monolithic surface that blocks bulk water while allowing vapor to pass through. This unique design requires no separate WRB-AB, which simplifies installation — a major benefit when job site space is minimal.
“DensElement™ Barrier System streamlined and reduced installation time needed for sheathing and WRB-AB,” said Michael Hulbert, Senior Project Manager at HP Cummings Construction Company.
Brian Kelly, Estimator and Project Manager at Optimum Building Systems LLC, praised PROSOCO R-Guard® FastFlash® liquid flashing, which proved effective in sealing around all 600 exterior windows. “The general contractor felt the FastFlash® was easier to visually inspect versus peel-and-stick,” Kelly stated. “It conforms to the corners on openings and directional change with the wood bucks in the windows.”
According to Kelly, utilizing the DensElement™ Barrier System likely shaved two months off the installation. “It’s one and done,” he noted. “It’s a real time-saver, with cost savings to the owner and to everyone. We saved a significant amount of money, the owner was very happy, and they achieved what they wanted to achieve at a lower cost. It was a win-win for everyone.”
When it’s completed in the summer of 2018, the Eagle’s Landing Apartments will be the latest addition to the 140-year history of Champlain College. As a home for students who will grow into the future leaders of the world, it’s only fitting that construction of this building would demand modern ideas and novel technologies like the DensElement™ Barrier System.
To learn more about the DensElement™ Barrier System, visit DensElement.com.
Related Stories
| Oct 6, 2010
Windows Keep Green Goals in View
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has almost 600 window openings, and yet it's targeting LEED Platinum, net-zero energy use, and 50% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1. How the window ‘problem’ is part of the solution.
| Sep 13, 2010
Second Time Around
A Building Team preserves the historic facade of a Broadway theater en route to creating the first green playhouse on the Great White Way.
| Aug 11, 2010
Morphosis builds 'floating' house for Brad Pitt's Make It Right New Orleans foundation
Morphosis Architects, under the direction of renowned architect and UCLA professor Thom Mayne, has completed the first floating house permitted in the U.S. for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans.The FLOAT House is a new model for flood-safe, affordable, and sustainable housing that is designed to float securely with rising water levels.
| Aug 11, 2010
PCA partners with MIT on concrete research center
MIT today announced the creation of the Concrete Sustainability Hub, a research center established at MIT in collaboration with the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation.
| Aug 11, 2010
29 Great Solutions for the AEC Industry
AEC firms are hotbeds of invention and innovation to meet client needs in today's highly competitive environment. The editors of Building Design+Construction are pleased to present 29 "Great Solutions" to some of the most complex problems and issues facing Building Teams today. Our solutions cover eight key areas: Design, BIM + IT, Collaboration, Healthcare, Products, Technology, Business Management, and Green Building.
