Building commissioning, ensuring quality and savings

This paper discusses the concept of Building Commissioning and defines the qualifications required to guarantee its proper delivery. Building Commissioning attempts to ensure that the requirements of the owner are met in all phases of a project, from programming to design, construction and operation. Currently, numerous independent parties (HVAC, piping, lighting, etc.) perform building commissioning. With the complexity of today's buildings, there is a need to coordinate these efforts and ensure the "total building system" works together. The benefits of building commissioning are seen in savings due to greater efficiency in the building's systems and lower maintenance costs because of a reduction in faulty system components. If owners are looking for more efficient buildings that better meet their needs, building commissioning is an enhancement to project delivery that realizes savings through efficient and effective systems.