Our goal when commissioning a project is to ultimately improve not only the operation of the building systems, but to ensure that the building occupants enjoy a more comfortable, better quality working environment, and a highly productive daily experience.
We accomplish these goals through our detailed periodic design reviews, seamless scheduling of commissioning activities, timely jobsite observations and our ability to assist the project design and construction team in solving building systems installation and operational problems early, before they may cause change orders and completion delays.
Building commissioning is a planned and systematic team effort. We define the role of each member at the design development phase and conduct our initial Cx team meeting following through with implementing our proven successful commissioning approach.
The key to our commissioning success can be defined by one word - communication.
Our design review process focuses on ensuring that the owner's project requirements are met by the design teams construction documents. Another primary focus is the constructability and maintainability provided by the direction of project documents. HESM&A feels that the ability to maintain the building environmental and operating systems is essential for continued optimum building performance.
Our approach to commissioning involves the detailed planning of all phases of the process from Design Phase through the Warranty Phase. Our commissioning specifications will be project specific and integrated into the construction documents. Our commissioning plan will include the required scope of services for all team members to execute our approach for a project of this complexity. Functional testing and verification procedures will be compiled and distributed for review by the team and implemented accordingly.
Because of our team experience in actual building construction, we are able to integrate our commissioning activities into the project master construction schedule without extending or delaying the project milestones or finish date with a "can do", pro-active attitude. Our jobsite progress reviews are scheduled and distributed to the construction and design teams. These site inspections are tailored to the requirements of the project design documents as well as local building codes. All deficiencies found in the equipment or systems that are to be commissioned are documented and coordinated with the design/construction team and Owner. This documentation is transmitted to the appropriate parties the next day so that the deficient items can be corrected before any delays in construction can result.
Our team's collective experience in construction of a wide spectrum of building types and usages, affords us the opportunity to assist in the solution to many of the problems that arise in the complex building systems employed today. This approach to commissioning a project is not entirely unique, however, the specialty skills that HESM&A brings to this project team certainly are.
Throughout the drawing review process, our focus is the completeness of the documents with respect to scope, constructability, accessibility, and ease of commissioning while minimizing the need for later change orders in the project. We will attend design team review meetings to discuss our document review comments which will include a commissioning kick-off meeting to review the commissioning process and its coordination of the design efforts.
We will prepare Commissioning Specifications for all systems and equipment to be commissioned indicating the required process along with contractor responsibilities. This will also include "draft" functional test procedures for review by the design team. We will review bids of contractor pricing for Commissioning activities with our comments submitted to the Emory Facilities Project Manager.
We will meet with the construction and design team along with their major sub-contractors to outline their contractual responsibilities and involvement required during the on-site commissioning process. We will develop a detailed commissioning plan for the installation, checkout, startup, and equipment and system testing for verification of their function in accordance to the contract documents. During the physical construction phase of the project, we will make appropriate jobsite visits with the intent of assuring jobsite quality with future building indoor air quality as a priority. Our function during this phase is to ensure that the design is followed and the quality of construction is that which the owner is expecting and has contracted.
We will develop a commissioning schedule for implementation into the contractor's overall construction schedule with major milestones identified and coordinated. We will review and approve contractors' submittals for commissioned equipment and systems. We will issue a pre-commissioning checklist of the equipment and systems that will be monitored and verified for operation. The contractors will use this checklist to initial each line item as complete and meeting the contract requirements and sequences of operation prior to our verification of same.
We will perform periodic site visits during rough-in of systems and equipment during the construction phase of the project.
When the contractors have signed off a sufficient number of equipment and systems, our on-site commissioning process will proceed into the verification stage. A commissioning schedule will then be issued that outlines the date when each piece of equipment or system will be verified for operation. Deficiency and resolution reports will be generated for each piece of equipment or sequence that does not comply with the contract documents and local code requirements. The deficiency and resolution reports are then signed and returned to us when the items have been corrected.
We will witness a sample of the pipe and ductwork testing and cleaning procedures performed by the contractor during specific site visits for HVAC instillation/verification. We will witness a sample of the end-to-end testing and calibration of controls.
We will attend on-site meetings during construction for commissioning coordination with the contractor for progress review and resolution of field issues.
We will review the test and balance execution plan along with witnessing their work in the field for critical systems and major components, and 100% of all equipment testing. Review of test and balance reports, including any deficiencies and their corrections, is also included as a function of our commissioning effort.
When all systems and equipment have satisfied the contract and code requirements, a final commissioning report is generated that will summarize the on-site process.
After the on-site testing process is complete, we will also review and approve the contractor's coordination of the systems training including overseeing this effort for the owner's building operating staff. We will review the O&M documentation for completeness. We will perform seasonal testing and checkout of systems. Each piece of equipment and system will be assigned a number of hours of training, often specified by design documents, and documented by us to insure that the owner's personnel are adequately educated on the building systems.
We will provide re-commissioning activities per LEED Enhanced criteria such as warranty phase services including a seasonal HVAC system testing (opposite from the seasonal testing performed at building turnover to the Owner), a site visit 10 months after building occupation, review of system operations with building staff, identify deficiencies and recommended corrections, review system efficiencies and make recommendations for improvements and update in the O&M manuals, provide additional training for the building staff, prepare a building evaluation and status of warranty issues and attend an on-site meeting to review warranty issues.
Fundamental and Enhanced Commissioning will be performed for the MEP systems.