Our experienced independent commissioning management team provide verification that the building services have been commissioning as per the design intent, and give the client comfort in knowing they have mitigated their risk of building services failure.
Efficiency and Performance
Commissioning management does not only occur at completion, but is undertaken throughout the life of the project, and through all phases from concept to hand over, and through to building tuning.
We are focused on the end result to reduce building services risk and achieve maximum performance and efficiency.
COMMISSIONING
We approach each project with genuine commitment to develop solutions, which assists in delivering improved environmental and energy performance in both new and existing buildings.
Our specialist team has a range of sustainability skills including:
- Independent Commissioning Management Organisation (IMCO)
- Independent Commissioning Agent (ICA)
- Commissioning Authority (LEED Cx)
- Green Star Assessments & LEED Assessments
- Soft Landings Service
- NABERS Assessments
- Building Energy Efficiency Certifications (BEEC) under Australian Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) Legislation
- Energy (& Water) Efficiency Audits and Asset Management Plans
We understand that commissioning initiatives need to provide realistic and achievable returns in line with the client’s identified payback periods. Especially with relationship to redundancy and efficiency in the critical environments.
COMMISSIONING METHODOLOGY
Buildings which are not adequately commissioned can result in the poor operation of systems which can impact the energy usage, reduced occupant satisfaction, and low maintenance regimes.
As such, it is important to prescribe the procedures necessary to bring the systems into full working order to commission the systems, in accordance with the requirements of the specification.
The design, construction and installation engineering teams have a mutual interest in checking that the commissioning process brings the systems into full working order.
The systematic commissioning of building services is crucial to enable the correct operation of the systems and associated building services plant and equipment.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSIONING MANAGER
The principal objective of the ICA is to plan, lead and manage the commissioning process so that not only the engineering design intent is met, but also that the sustainable and integrated performance of the building and its engineering services is achieved. The ICA is independent of the design team. We shall provide an unbiased perspective of the commissioning process.
We will provide advice on commissioning activities from system design to project completion (from BSRIA Commissioning Management guide). We manage, oversee and check the commissioning of building services which may include electrical, mechanical, BMS, and hydraulic.
Importantly, in our role as the ICA we do not usurp, nor negate the responsibilities of the Design Consultants and Architect during the design, construction and commissioning phases. The Design Consultants and Architect have an obligation to ensure their design is inherently commissionable and to identify interdependencies with other services or structures. They will still carry out their own detailed defects inspections during construction and participate in the witnessing of their relevant systems. The Design Consultants and Architects will still need to sign off on their respective designs (and that the construction meets their design intent).
We will also participate in quarterly reviews with the building owner, tenant, design team, Head/Managing Contractor and specialist trade sub-contractors during the defects liability period, and provide input to any post occupancy performance test reports.
SOFT LANDINGS METHODOLOGY
Building excellence does not stop when a building is handed over. Unless properly addressed, operational issues will degrade the building and its services. Indeed, in a very short space of time the design intent can be lost. This often manifests itself in higher energy usage, a failure to maintain critical conditions, and less satisfied occupants.
Experience suggests that the ‘handover stage’ is where many of the long-term operational problems become embedded. We are pioneering a new approach to help prevent the design intent from becoming lost, and this new approach can best be described as providing the building owners and occupants with a ‘soft landing’.
In the UK where the concept originated, it is recognised that Soft Landings can play an important role in helping the building services live up to expectations.
To facilitate a Soft Landing, we become involved at an early stage of the design process to assist the project team in making sure that all important operations and maintenance documentation is in place, that commissioning data is up to date, that maintenance procedures are in place, that energy targets have been established, and that the designers are satisfied that their intent is properly documented. These tasks fit neatly with the ICA Role. During handover, the team (designers and operations specialists) assist the facilities managers to familiarise themselves with the new building services.
In practice Soft Landings extends the duties of the team before handover, in the weeks immediately after handover, for the first year of occupation, and for the second and third years of occupation.
The Soft Landings procedures are designed to augment standard professional scopes of service, not to replace them. They can be tailored to run alongside most industry standard procurement routes. Major revisions to industry standard documentation are therefore not necessary. The main additions to normal scopes of service occur during five main stages: