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
Education Facilities | Jul 26, 2022
Malibu High School gets a new building that balances environment with education
In Malibu, Calif., a city known for beaches, surf, and sun, HMC Architects wanted to give Malibu High School a new building that harmonizes environment and education.
| Jul 26, 2022
Better design with a “brain break”
During the design process, there aren’t necessarily opportunities to implement “brain breaks,” brief moments to take a purposeful pause from the task at hand and refocus before returning to work.
Building Team | Jul 25, 2022
First Ismaili Center in the U.S. combines Islamic design with Texas influences
Construction has begun on the first Ismaili Center in the U.S. in Houston.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2022
Office developers aim for zero carbon without offsets
As companies reassess their office needs in the wake of the pandemic, a new arms race to deliver net zero carbon space without the need for offsets is taking place in London, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2022
Hurricane-resistant construction may be greatly undervalued
New research led by an MIT graduate student at the school’s Concrete Sustainability Hub suggests that the value of buildings constructed to resist wind damage in hurricanes may be significantly underestimated.
School Construction | Jul 22, 2022
School integrating conventional medicine with holistic principles blends building and landscape
Design of the new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Ark., aims to blend the building and landscape, creating connections with the surrounding woodlands and the Ozark Mountains.
Market Data | Jul 21, 2022
Architecture Billings Index continues to stabilize but remains healthy
Architecture firms reported increasing demand for design services in June, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Market Data | Jul 21, 2022
Despite deteriorating economic conditions, nonresidential construction spending projected to increase through 2023
Construction spending on buildings is projected to increase just over nine percent this year and another six percent in 2023, according to a new report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Mixed-Use | Jul 21, 2022
Former Los Angeles Macy’s store converted to mixed-use commercial space
Work to convert the former Westside Pavilion Macy's department store in West Los Angeles to a mixed-use commercial campus recently completed.
Building Team | Jul 20, 2022
San Francisco overtakes Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction
San Francisco has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction, according to a new report from Turner & Townsend.
