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
| Dec 13, 2011
Lutron’s Commercial Experience Center awarded LEED Gold
LEED certification of the Lutron facility was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include: optimization of energy performance through the use of lighting power, lighting controls and HVAC, plus the use of daylight.
| Dec 12, 2011
AIA Chicago announces Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as 2011 Firm of the Year
SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment.
| Dec 12, 2011
Skanska to expand and renovate hospital in Georgia for $103 Million
The expansion includes a four-story, 17,500 square meters clinical services building and a five-story, 15,700 square meters, medical office building. Skanska will also renovate the main hospital.
| Dec 12, 2011
CRSI design awards deadline extended to December 31
The final deadline is extended until December 31st, with judging shortly thereafter at the World of Concrete.
| Dec 12, 2011
Mojo Stumer takes top honors at AIA Long Island Design Awards
Firm's TriBeCa Loft wins "Archi" for interior design.
| Dec 10, 2011
10 Great Solutions
The editors of Building Design+Construction present 10 “Great Solutions” that highlight innovative technology and products that can be used to address some of the many problems Building Teams face in their day-to-day work. Readers are encouraged to submit entries for Great Solutions; if we use yours, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate. Look for more Great Solutions in 2012 at: www.bdcnetwork.com/greatsolutions/2012.
| Dec 10, 2011
Energy performance starts at the building envelope
Rainscreen system installed at the west building expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.
| Dec 10, 2011
Turning Balconies Outside In
Operable glass balcony glazing systems provide solution to increase usable space in residential and commercial structures.
