DANAS JE NEPRIHVATLJIVA ZGRADA BEZ URAĐENOG TEHNIČKOG PRIJEMA AN UNCOMMISSIONED BUILDING IS NOT AN OPTION TODAY

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1 DANAS JE NEPRIHVATLJIVA ZGRADA BEZ URAĐENOG TEHNIČKOG PRIJEMA AN UNCOMMISSIONED BUILDING IS NOT AN OPTION TODAY Andrés SEPÚLVEDA *, ASHRAE Chemical Engineer, Spain Chapter President, Commtech CEO, TC 7.9 Provisional Corresponding Member. Region XIV Nominating Committee Reserve Alternate Stanari, vlasnici i upravnici zgrada imaju koristi od udobne, bezbedne, pouzdane, efikasne i dobro održavane zgrade. Međutim, mnoge zgrade, pa čak i one koje su dobro projektovane i izgrađene, ne ispunjavaju sadašnje operativne zahteve projekta, ponekad zbog toga što ti zahtevi nisu bili jasno utvrđeni u odgovarajućoj fazi projekta, a ponekad i zbog toga što niko nije proverio da li su usklađene sa zahevima tokom projekta ili životnog veka zgrade. Ključne reči: proces tehničkog prijema; proces tehničkog prijema za postojeće zgrade; projektni zahtevi vlasnika; trenutni zahtevi za objekat Occupants and building owners and managers benefits from having a comfortable, safe, reliable, efficient andwell maintained building. However, many buildings even those well-designed and built do not fulfill the Project Owner/Current Operational Requirements, sometimes because they were not clearly stated at the corresponding phase,sometimes because no one verified their compliance throughout the project or life of the building. Key words: commissioning process; existing building commissioning (EBCx) process; owner s project requirements (OPR); current facility requirements (CFR) Definitions Commissioning Process (Cx): a quality-focused process for enhancing the delivery of a project. The process focuses on verifying and documenting that the facility and all of its systems and assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the Owner s Project Requirements (OPR). Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx) Process: A quality-focused process for attaining the CFR of an existing building and/or its system and assemblies. The process focusses on planning, investigating, implementing, verifying, and documenting that the facility and/or its systems and assemblies are operated and main- * Author s andres.sepulveda@commtech.es 48. MEĐUNARODNI KONGRES I IZLOŽBA O KGH 401

2 tained to meet the CFR, with a program in place to maintain the enhancements for the remaining life of the facility. Owner s Project Requirements (OPR): A written document that details the functional requirements of a project and the expectation of how it will be used and operated. These include project, goals, measurable performance criteria, cost considerations, benchmarks, success criteria, and supporting information. (The term Project Intent is used by some owners for their Commissioning Process Owner s Project Requirements.) Current Facility Requirements (CFR): A written document in which the Owner details the current functional requirements of a facility and the expectations of how it should be used and operated. This may include goals, measurable performance criteria, cost considerations, benchmarks, success criteria, and supporting information to meet the requirements of occupants, users, and Owner(s) of the facility. 1. Introduction Everyone benefits from a well-designed, operated and maintained building. There are good reasons for commissioning a building. The primary intention of the Commissioning Process is to ensure building systems provide efficient comfort, reliability, safety and security to occupants, guarantee the building is well-managed by a effectively trained staff and environmentally friendly. Very often, buildings worldwide share the following: OPR NOT well defined: ambiguous or unrealistic Lack of compatibility OPR vs BOD Design solutions not clearly conveyed to contractors Poor construction work Poor building performance: inefficient good comfort, efficient poor comfort O&M Staff NOT well-trained to manage the building Poor documentation produced as the basis for further actions Most of the above mentioned issues can be addressed and solved through implementing a well-planned and effective Cx Process from pre-design well into the occupancy phase, led by experienced technicians 2. International Commissioning Definitions Here comes the most accepted Cx Process definitions: A quality-focused process focuses on verifying and documenting that the building and all of its systems, assemblies and equipments are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the Owner's Project Requirements. (ASHRAE Guideline ) A systematic process focuses of assuring by verification and documentation, from the Design Phase to a minimum of one year after construction,that all facility systems perform interactively in accordance with the design documentation and intent, and in accordance with the Owner s operational needs, including preparation of operation personnel. (BCxA National Conference on Building Commissioning) INTERNATIONAL HVAC&R CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION

3 The advancement of the installation from the state of static completion to full working order to the specified requirements. It includes the settings to work of an installation, the regulation of the system and the fine tuning of the system. (CIBSE Commissioning Code M: 2003) However, there is one clearly summarizing what is all about: commissioning is making sure the building property owner gets what they are paying for. In Fig-1 the Cx Process is phased out in a new building project and in an existing one Figure 1. Phases of a Cx/EBCx Process 3. Benefits of the commissioning The main benefits of a successful Cx Process are the following: Monitoring OPR/CFR achievement throughout the process Comprehensive building documentation Smooth handover Fewer callbacks Improved building occupant comfort, health conditions and productivity Improved building O&M. Well-trained O&M staff Lower utility bills thank to energy savings Improved building systems reliability and extended life cycle 4. Cx Process barriers When implementing a Cx Process in a new building projects, some recurrent barriers shall be overcome: Unclear Operational needs/opr 48. MEĐUNARODNI KONGRES I IZLOŽBA O KGH 403

4 No budget for testing and commissioning Unrealistic project planning Commissioning process starting at a very late stage Lack of support from Property Owners and End-Users Lack of cooperation from stakeholders Lack of contractor s TAB qualification Building O&M personnel coming on board too late Lack of communication 5. The importance of well-defined the building needs (OPR) As stated previously the Cx Process main objective is to verify that the building meets the OPR at the handover. That is why the OPR are so fundamental for the Cx Process success and shall reflect the Owner s wishes, objectives, and needs, via significant Owner inputs and their final approval. An effective OPR shall be: Clearly defined, realistic and achievable Reviewed and understood by the design team and O&M staff Updated throughout the project. Include elements that are qualitatively and preferably quantifiably and verifiable. The Fig-2 shows the main areas where OPR shall be very specific. Figure 2. OPR vs Cx verifying criteria 6. Differences between testing and commissioning There is still a lot of confusion between testing and commissioning and indistinctly they are used to explain totally different scopes. Testing means the building systems, assemblies and equipment functional testing conducted by the main contrac INTERNATIONAL HVAC&R CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION

5 tor or installers measuring the various parameters against the nominal/design values. The commissioning scope goes beyond and as explain above with the main objective to verify that the building performance is able to deliver the OPR (see Fig-3) Figure 3. Commissioning vs Testing Testing specifications for a new building project shall be undertaken according to the following breakdown: Factory testing, FT Static testing, ST Pre-functional verifications, PFV Adjusting and balancing, TAB Load testing, LT Functional Performance testing, FPT Performance demostration, PD System Integration testing, IST Seasonal deferred testing, ST 7. Deliverables Effective and detailed documentation is one of the main Cx Process contribution to a new building project. The main documents delivered shall be the following: Cx Plan OPR Review Design/BOD Review Submittals Review Verification Check List Issues Log Cx Report System Manual Continuous Commissioning CCx Plan 48. MEĐUNARODNI KONGRES I IZLOŽBA O KGH 405

6 end: 8. Key Factors for Success In order to have a successful Cx Process, here comes the key factors to that Hire an accredited, professional, independent and experienced Cx Agent Full support from the Owner Integrate and communicate the Cx strategy from an early project stage Allocate a sufficient budget/time to testing and commissioning activities Monitor the OPR throughout all project phases Incorporate the Cx Specs in the construction documents Get involved in the submittals review Develop a detailed test planning Encourage the cooperation of stakeholders in the Cx Process 9. Rational behind the commissioning approach to a new and an existing building Due to internal and external reasons an existing building performance based on the OPR defined when it was designed and built gets away from the performance needed to meet the today s or current facility requirements, CFR. The Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx) is a very competitive and systematic process to identity and implement low cost improvements to meet and maintain the CFR for the remaining life of the building. The main reasons why building requirements might have changed is shown in Fig-4. Figure 4. CFR vs OPR An energy audit combined with a building tune-up is enhanced considerably by a EBCx Process since operational requirements, non energy-related improve INTERNATIONAL HVAC&R CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION

7 ments as occupant comfort, productivity increase, energy measures, O&M procedures and personnel training review are addressed. The EBCx Process is implemented in 6 phases: Planning, Assessment, Investigation, Implementation, Handover and Continuous Commissioning. See Fig.5. Figure 5. EBCx Process Phases Apart of meeting the CFR the benefits of an EBCx Process are the following: Improve overall performance, making the building more efficient and reducing operational costs. Identity opportunities to solve operational, control and maintenance issues Reduce complains from occupants and improve comfort Identify needs of training for O&M personnel Extend equipment life cycle Ensure the persistence of improvements over the building's life At the end of the Investigation Phase, the Owner shall decide which recommendations to implement based on the potential benefits versus corresponding investments/ payback period. 10. Continuous Commissioning, CCx The Continuous Commissioning, CCx Process consists of repeating some commissioning activities throughout the building's life to preserve the improvements implemented during a commissioning process of an existing building. Otherwise the efficient and reliable performance achieved will deteriorated in a few years. (See Fig. 6). 48. MEĐUNARODNI KONGRES I IZLOŽBA O KGH 407

8 Figure 6. Building performance improvements with and without CxC 11. Successful Cx experiences in the US and UK Markets Backed up by very strong specialized associations, commissioning is a real size industry in the US and the UK, where in other countries is still on an embryonic stage. However, everybody agrees on the vital importance of implementing a Cx Process well-based on the experience and knowledge of specialized and accredited technicians and engineers. Commissioning is all about People, Process and Technology synchronized in a way that a new or an existing building is (re)-delivered meeting the Owner Requirements with efficiency, reliability and safety. 12. References [1] *** Standard , Commissioning Process for Buildings and systems, ASHRAE, 2013 [2] *** Guideline , Commissioning Process for Existing Systems and Assemblies, ASHRAE, 2015 [3] *** Guideline , The Commissioning Process, ASHRAE, 2013 [4] *** Guideline , Exterior Enclosure Technical Requirements For the Commissioning Process, NIBS, 2006 [5] *** Guideline , Procedures for Preparing Facility Systems Manuals, ASHRAE, 2014 [6] *** Guideline , HVAC&R Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process, ASHRAE, 2007 [7] *** Guideline , Measurement, Testing, Adjusting, and balancing of Building HVAC systems, ASHRAE, 2008 [8] *** Guideline , Procedures for Preparing Facility Systems Manuals, ASHRAE, 2014 [9] *** Commissioning Codes, CIBSE, UK [10] *** The Building Commissioning Handbook, BCxA, third edition. kgh This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 terms and conditions INTERNATIONAL HVAC&R CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION