A Comprehensive Guide to Commissioning

 

Today's buildings comprise a range of complicated systems, components and technologies that have been developed and enhanced over many decades. The increasing complexities of modern-day electrical and mechanical systems – coupled with growing expectations of building occupants and owners as well as regulatory bodies – are responsible for the surging demand for commissioning.

To be true, high-quality planning, design and construction are just the initial steps when it is about delivering a successful project. Commissioning of the design and systems is now an integral part of the process and today, commissioning is critical to the success of any project.

Understanding Commissioning

Commissioning is a quality-oriented, systematic and collaborative process that chiefly focuses on assessing that a building as well as all its components and systems are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, verified, and managed as intended. Some of the main building systems involved in commissioning include:

●       Mechanical systems including ductwork, HVAC and ventilation

●       Electrical systems like lighting controls and power distribution

●       Plumbing systems

●       Alarm and communication systems

●       Protective systems like smoke/fire systems

●       The outer “covering” of a building, including the roof, walls, doors, windows, etc.

The main aim of commissioning is to integrate all different components of a building to deliver a facility that is fully functional and operates as expected. A comprehensive, all-inclusive commission plan aids in filling voids between the building owner, contractors’ team and end users. This ensures a smoother transition, right from construction to operation.

The process of commissioning starts by ensuring that every building part is installed and is operating appropriately – and that it meets the predefined performance specifications. This is achieved via inspection, testing and certification of all the fundamental installations. The next step entails putting together all the parts into functional systems as well as integrating and optimising all the systems into a single unified system.

The final phase of commissioning involves documenting the completion of the building as well as its systems and components. The documentation defines the performance standards and acts as a benchmark to check if all the systems meet those standards. It also functions as a blueprint of the decisions involving “why”, “what” and “how-to” that are made during commissioning.

Commissioning should be regarded as a comprehensive, consolidative process that encompasses pre-design, planning, construction, occupancy, operations and maintenance.

Commissioning Goals

The main aim of commissioning is to ensure that a building as well as its systems and components meet the requirements of the project owner. This may include the following goals:

●   Delivering a facility that performs as per the design intent and meets the requirements of the project owner.

● Checking if various systems and parts are installed appropriately and they are working appropriately as per the established benchmarks.

●      Providing lower operation and maintenance, and energy costs for the facility owner.

●      Preventing issues and unanticipated costs in the future through a proactive approach.

●     Providing accurate records and documents, specific to the plan, design, construction and testing to smooth operation and maintenance in the future.

●     Optimizing the overall performance of the building.

Commissioning Goals

The main aim of commissioning is to ensure that a building as well as its systems and components meet the requirements of the project owner. This may include the following goals:

●    Delivering a facility that performs as per the design intent and meets the requirements of the project owner.

● Checking if various systems and parts are installed appropriately and they are working appropriately as per the established benchmarks.

●       Providing lower operation and maintenance, and energy costs for the facility owner.

●       Preventing issues and unanticipated costs in the future through a proactive approach.

●       Providing accurate records and documents, specific to the plan, design, construction and testing to smooth operation and maintenance in the future.

●       Optimising the overall performance of the building.

4 Main Types of Commissioning

●   New Construction Commissioning: The standalone term “commissioning” usually refers to commissioning of a newly constructed building or one that is in the phases of design and/or construction. It is the most common and perhaps the most effective type as it enables the commissioning process to start early on and take preventative steps, if necessary.

● Re-Commissioning: It involves commissioning of an existing facility that has been commissioned earlier. It usually occurs once a facility becomes fully operational, and the building owner has a clearer idea about the use of building. This type of commissioning is usually done in buildings with older components and systems – and it helps ensure that everything is in excellent condition and functioning properly. It also aids in checking system efficiencies and discovering potential system failures well before time. 

●    Retro-Commissioning: Retro-commissioning involves commissioning of a building that wasn’t commissioned when it was just constructed. It helps resolve problems that arose during the design and construction phases or address problems that surfaced throughout the life of the building as the equipment continued to age, or usage of the building changed over time. Retro-commissioning helps find out areas that can be improved while boosting the overall operations and maintenance of the building. The objectives of retro-commissioning are typically related to lowering energy waste and maximizing energy savings as well as finding out and overcoming ongoing issues.

●    Continuous Commissioning: It is primarily an ongoing commissioning process customised to meet sustainability-specific or operational goals. It exploits technological innovations to provide ongoing solutions to overcome operational challenges, maximise energy use, enhance comfort and identify areas of improvement in the existing building. Unlike conventional commissioning, the aim of continuous commissioning is not ensuring that all the building systems are working as intended. Instead, it aims to make sure that the building, together with all its systems and components, is functioning in an optimal manner, and meets the ongoing requirements.

The Process of Building Commissioning

The commissioning process is aligned with the project delivery process. The key steps within the commissioning process are as follows:

●     Pre-Design/Planning: During this phase, the owner’s project-specific requirements are defined and the commissioning management company is deployed. In this phase, a preliminary plan for commissioning is developed and the initial budget for commissioning is also defined.

●  Design: In this stage, deeper details are provided to building components and systems that include drawings, document and design specifications. The activities in this phase help ensure the project requirements of the owner are aptly defined and included in the contract. It is the time when the commissioning management company starts to monitor the defined requirements of the owner, carry out commissioning reviews and make necessary changes to the commissioning plan.

●    Construction: This is when the actual construction work starts, which makes commissioning critical. The commissioning team starts checking if the building components and systems are working as per the project’s requirements. The commissioning activities in this phase involves start-up, ensuring quality during installations and performance system training and testing.

●  Issue Resolution: Unanticipated problems may arise during any phase of a project. Early detection of such problems and their quick resolution is key to successful commissioning. From the beginning of commissioning to project completion, problems are discovered, recorded, communicated and monitored until they are fully resolved. The commissioning team takes part in the resolution process of the majority of issues that lies within the ambit of their work. The commissioning team collaborates with other teams, including the designers, contractors and the owner while providing them with the necessary documentation and tracking the problems until they are fully resolved.

●    Occupancy & Operations: This is the stage when construction gets over and the handover of the project is done. While fixing any faults as well as finalizing any pending documentation, it is the final phase that marks the end of commissioning. It involves performing seasonal or deferred testing, re-assessing performance before the end of warranty periods and completing the final commissioning report.

●  LEED Certification: LEED certification is an internationally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement. LEED needs commissioning to get certification. A commissioning agent with the knowledge of LEED helps the teams working on a project fulfil the requirements of LEED Certification, enabling them to earn points and attain a higher LEED label.

To Conclude

Commissioning is key to the overall success of any construction project. It helps deliver myriad quantifiable benefits to the design and construction teams, building owners, building occupants, the environment and the general public.

A smart, cloud-based commissioning management software solution not only helps avoid risk of errors and unwanted delays, but it also smooths the entire commissioning process.