Planning the commissioning of buildings
The best commissioning process is one that is planned from the project’s very inception. Designing in the ability to commission systems properly from the outset can provide huge benefits, especially on cost and performance.
Essentially, good commissioning is the difference between providing a feature that works, and one where its functionality for the end-users has been verified. For example, it’s one thing to include a meter or valve in a design, and another to install it in an easily accessible place. (Even in the exemplar buildings in the Carbon Trust’s LCBP research, installation errors were still found, such as sub-meters installed at toe level.)
Several projects in the LCBP programme had appointed an independent commissioning specialist to oversee the whole process, from design through construction and, vitally, during handover. The specialist in these cases was appointed by the main contractor.
In a parallel initiative, the Commissioning Specialists Association (CSA) is recommending that clients appoint a commissioning verification engineer to monitor the process as the ‘client’s friend’. This sits comfortably with practices followed by the more successful LCBP projects. The common factor in many cases was where a person or organisation was involved continuously throughout the design and construction process, and on into occupation.
While a commissioning manager will usually be appointed by the main contractor, they can be appointed directly by the client. This might be the case where the client is an owner-operator, such as a university, and/or has a vested interest in the commissioning being carried out correctly at the early stages to reduce long-term running costs.
LCBP projects that were run by a knowledgeable, interested client, and where a commissioning consultant had been appointed to oversee the process enjoyed a building with better performance and fewer ongoing defects. Others, where there was no follow through from those involved during the construction, tended to suffer performance penalities. These penalties were usually seen in energy consumption being much higher than the design prediction, and low levels of occupant satisfaction with comfort factors, such as temperature, air quality and noise.
Above: The new professional’s view of commissioning overlain on the old leave-it-to-the- last-minute approach to commissioning. The commissioning plan is started at the early stage of the project, and populated with detail as it becomes available. This approach calls on project professionals to plan early, reality-check as they go along, prepare fully for handover, and follow through after occupation to fine-tune and resolve issues as they emerge.
Above: How not to install an electrical sub-meter: at toe level on the distribution board. This happened on each floor of an office block, studied by the Carbon Trust. It might not have mattered had the BMS been set up to read the meter pulses correctly. It wasn’t. The BMS was found to miss around 60 per cent of the meter pulses. Sadly it’s not unusual.
This article originally appeared in Delta T Magazine May 2011, written by BSRIA’s James Parker. It was posted here by --BSRIA 08:31, 26 November 2014 (UTC).
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- At your services - What to expect during commissioning.
- Client commissioning.
- Commissioning.
- Commissioning documents.
- Commissioning notice.
- Commissioning plan.
- Commissioning v testing.
- Corrosion in heating and cooling systems.
- Handover to client.
- Initial commissioning case studies.
- Inspection.
- Migration strategy.
- Practical completion.
- Seasonal and continuous commissioning.
- Soft landings.
- Specialist commissioning manager.
Featured articles and news
Quality Planning for Micro and Small to Medium Sized Enterprises
A CIOB Academy Technical Information sheet.
A briefing on fall protection systems for designers
A legal requirement and an ethical must.
CIOB Ireland launches manifesto for 2024 General Election
A vision for a sustainable, high-quality built environment that benefits all members of society.
Local leaders gain new powers to support local high streets
High Street Rental Auctions to be introduced from December.
Infrastructure sector posts second gain for October
With a boost for housebuilder and commercial developer contract awards.
Sustainable construction design teams survey
Shaping the Future of Sustainable Design: Your Voice Matters.
COP29; impacts of construction and updates
Amid criticism, open letters and calls for reform.
The properties of conservation rooflights
Things to consider when choosing the right product.
Adapting to meet changing needs.
London Build: A festival of construction
Co-located with the London Build Fire & Security Expo.
Tasked with locating groups of 10,000 homes with opportunity.
Delivering radical reform in the UK energy market
What are the benefits, barriers and underlying principles.
Information Management Initiative IMI
Building sector-transforming capabilities in emerging technologies.
Recent study of UK households reveals chilling home truths
Poor insulation, EPC knowledge and lack of understanding as to what retrofit might offer.
Embodied Carbon in the Built Environment
Overview, regulations, detail calculations and much more.
Why the construction sector must embrace workplace mental health support
Let’s talk; more importantly now, than ever.
Ensuring the trustworthiness of AI systems
A key growth area, including impacts for construction.