DuBois & King provided an annual condition assessment of fall protection systems permanently installed at six facilities. System components inspected consisted of horizontal lifelines, tip over roof anchors, roof top anchors, shock absorbers, freestanding counterweight anchors, portable guardrail systems, and concrete bolt anchors. D&K’s structural engineers carried out field investigations and completed a letter report with annotated sketches and photographs summarizing the existing equipment, equipment condition, serviceability of the equipment and recommendations for repairs, annual inspections, and service.
Woodstock High & Middle School Mechanical/Electrical Upgrades
Mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering and construction administration services for upgrades to two facilities totaling 144,000 sf. Assessment of HVAC systems, code compliance, and mechanical design included:
Replacement of noisy air-handling unit
Increased heating capacity for library
New ventilation system for auditorium stage area
Capacity analysis of unit ventilators and hot water heating piping
New make-up air system for kitchen exhaust
Electrical engineering included assessment of existing electrical infrastructure to support new mechanical systems. Provided electrical power floor plans and panel board schedules. Replaced 1957 era panel boards in existing electrical room and six 1957 era disconnects and associated panel boards. Added secondary protection at three 37.5 kVA transformers.
Structural engineering included evaluation of existing system capacity local to new HVAC equipment and design of miscellaneous framing required for support.
Vermont Technical College Hartness Library
DuBois & King provided engineering design services for renovation of the Hartness Library, which serves the students of the Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College. The facility was originally constructed in 1966 and since that time no major changes have been made to the building. The current facility is 12,000-sf and consists of student areas, offices, restrooms, storage, and mechanical areas.
Engineering services for improvements to modernize and reconfigure the building to provide a space more suitable for study and academic inquiry; creation of additional private and collaborative study areas; increased access to information technology and improved lighting; upgrades to office space and bathrooms; and upgrades to ADA accessibility to bring the library in line with modern standards.
Design for the electrical system upgrades to the 12,000 sf campus library included new energy efficient lighting, data/computer system wiring, cable management layout, and electrical power and distribution. System improvements included fire alarm and lighting controls. Design addressed occupancy comfort and efficiency of heating, electrical energy, and ventilation.
Spaulding High School Biomass Boiler
Engineering services, project management, and cost control for award-winning biofuel project. Design and specifications for providing the school (220,000 sf) with wood chip heating capabilities. Provided full evaluation of available wood chip boiler systems in collaboration with the Barre Supervisory Union and presented an evaluation matrix and recommendations. Siting of the wood chip boiler adjacent to the existing boiler house enabled the use of existing pumps, piping, and valves to deliver heating hot water from the wood chip boiler to the existing hydronic heating system. The project approach included innovative design of the heat exchanger system to avoid flow disparities and irregularities between the new and existing pumping systems without expensive reconfiguration. Design included separate pumping and underground distribution piping system to serve remote gymnasium and support building. Provided permitting services to obtain a State of Vermont Air Quality Permit. The design integrated the wood chip boiler system with the design of a remote boiler house to provide the school with the benefits of a single competitively bid construction project.
Saint Michael’s College Student Center and Residence Hall
Structural design for the Saint Michael’s College Student Center and Residence Hall. The project consists of two new four-story structures with a one-story Connector Link. The approximate square footage of the Student Center, Residence Hall, and Connector Link is 39,900 sf, 43,400 sf, and 1,200 sf, respectively. The construction value of the project is $24 million.
Some of the complex design features of the Student Center building are large column free spaces, vaulted ceilings and roof lines, and a complicated exterior wall system, all requiring specialized structural framing. The primary structural design for the Student Center is moment-resisting steel frames with a composite steel floor framing system. The foundations are conventional spread footings. The exterior wall system consists of brick veneer and curtain wall requiring a complex shelf angle, hanger, and kicker-brace support system.
The Residence Hall structural framing consisted of a precast hollow-core plank floor system, braced frames for lateral load resistance, and a spread footing foundation. The gable roof is framed with light-gage steel trusses. Brick veneer and curtain wall were used for the exterior cladding system.
The project received a Grand Award in the Engineering Excellence Awards sponsored by the American Council of Engineering Companies/Vermont Section. The project was recognized as an outstanding example of engineering excellence in the category of: Buildings, Structures, and Support Systems.