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What is Commissioning?
Defining Commissioning
Historically, Commissioning referred to the process through which the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems of a building were tested and balanced before an owner took possession or was accepted.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers’ (CIBSE’s) CIBSE Commissioning Code M: Commissioning Management, which states, “Building-services plant and control systems should be inherently commissionable,” and, “The contractor and client should allow sufficient time for the complete commissioning process and ensure integration into the overall program.”
Today, that definition has been expanded to encompass the entire building system’s performance. The General Services Administration of the United States government defines Commissioning in this way:
Total Building Commissioning
To assure a high standard of excellence, GSA utilizes a Total Building Commissioning Process. Total Building Commissioning is the Public Buildings Service’s (PBS) process for quality assurance in new construction and facility modernization. It is the process for achieving, validating and documenting that the performance of the total building and its systems meet the design intent and requirements of the owner.
All building systems today are significantly integrated; as a result, a shortcoming in one system can degrade the performance of other systems. This can be manifested in a loss of performance, increased costs, or serious equipment deficiency.
Cx is the first step in continuous preventive maintenance. If a piece of equipment or a system cannot be commissioned, it cannot be maintained.
Capitol Commissioning's View:
At Capitol Commissioning, we look at commissioning as an integrated quality control process that can literally be applied to any system. The simplistic terms of the process are:
- Define and Verify the owners needs - What does the owner need the system to do, accomplish, etc.
- Verify the design in process, and post design to ensure the system will meet the previously defined owner need.
- Verify and witness the construction process to ensure the installed system will meet the previously defined design and owner need.
- Develop testing procedures to document and verify the end product meets the construction quality, design intent, defined design, and owner needs.
- Finally, document the process in a way that an outsider can follow and understand the process and feel reassured that the end product meets the defined owner need.
Commissioning Learning Events
Our CEO routinely gives educational presentations on various aspects of commissioning. He has presented to owners, contractors, architects, engineers, universities, and for non-profit organizations.
Some of our sessions have been approved by the USGBC for LEED continuing education credits.
We have presented at multiple learning series events for the USGBC Hampton Roads Chapter, the Engineering Unplugged event sponsored by Old Dominion University.
Contact us today if you are an owner or client looking for more information on commissioning.
We welcome your questions and queries. Please see our Contact Us page for complete contact information.
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