The Building Commissioning Association (BCA) officially released its New Construction Building Commissioning Best Practices. This publicly available document is applicable to most building types and distills the long list of guidelines, and longer list of tasks, into easy-to-navigate activities that represent the ideal commissioning process.
This document represents a collaborative effort on the part of several leading experts in the field of commissioning. Bruce Pitts of Wood Harbinger, Inc and Karl Stum of Summit Building Engineering spearheaded this two-year effort.
According to its authors, it aims to promote commissioning in the marketplace by defining the qualities and characteristics of best commissioning practices and to raise professional standards by establishing a benchmark against which the market can gauge quality and professionalism, and which the BCA can use to objectively evaluate other commissioning initiatives, including their own.
“I am proud of this Best Practices document,” stated BCA President Mark F. Miller, PE, CCP. “A unique and valuable aspect of this document is to identify several of the most common issues, pitfalls and challenges that BCA members see in the industry related to the practice of commissioning new construction and major renovation projects. Our hopes are that by highlighting these challenges and identifying proven strategies for overcoming them that this will heighten awareness and understanding and lead the industry to overcome these problems while promoting quality and standardization in the industry.”
New Construction Building Commissioning Best Practices draws upon existing resources such as the BCA’s own Building Commissioning Handbook, NEBB Procedural Standards for “Whole Building Systems Commissioning of New Construction”, National Institute of Building Science (NIBS) “Whole Building Design Guide”, ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005, ASHRAE Guideline 1.1-2007 and the USGBC LEED rating system.
Best Practices in Commissioning Existing Building is available in its entirety on the BCA website at www.bcxa.org. BD+C
Related Stories
| Jun 2, 2014
Nonresidential construction spending expands in April
Ten of 16 nonresidential construction subsectors posted increases in spending in April, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
| Jun 2, 2014
SOM unveils plans for Miami transit hub
The elevated station will be a key portal within All Aboard Florida’s rail system, the nation's only privately owned, operated, and financed rail network.
| Jun 1, 2014
Architect license upon graduation? NCARB aims to accelerate licensing process
Incorporating internship and examination requirements into university education, the regulatory organization looks to simplify and shorten the licensing process.
| May 30, 2014
MIT researchers create 'home in a box' transformable wall system for micro apartments
Dubbed CityHome, the system integrates furniture, storage, exercise equipment, lighting, office equipment, and entertainment systems into a compact wall unit.
| May 30, 2014
Riding high: L.A., Chicago working on their version of the High Line elevated park
Cities around the U.S. are taking notice of New York's highly popular High Line elevated park system. Both Chicago and Los Angeles are currently working on High Line-like projects.
| May 30, 2014
Developer will convert Dallas' storied LTV Building into mixed-use residential tower
New Orleans-based HRI Properties recently completed the purchase of one of the most storied buildings in downtown Dallas. The developer will convert the LTV Building into a mixed-use complex, with 171 hotel rooms and 186 luxury apartments.
| May 29, 2014
Turn your pen-and-paper sketches into digital drawings in seconds with this nifty gadget [video]
Funded through Kickstarter, iSketchnote uses a smart pen to instantly digitize hand-written notes and drawings.
| May 29, 2014
7 cost-effective ways to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient
Moving critical elements to higher ground and designing for longer lifespans are just some of the ways cities and governments can make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, writes Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil.
| May 29, 2014
Wood advocacy groups release 'lessons learned' report on tall wood buildings
The wood-industry advocacy group reThink Wood has released "Summary Report: Survey of International Tall Wood Buildings," with informatino from 10 mid-rise projects in Europe, Australia, and Canada.
