The focus of the design & construction half of the webcast was the owner’s project requirements. The need to have clear requirements from the owner right at the beginning of a project could not have been emphasized more. Sample questions to ask an owner when generating project requirements were provided during the webcast and are available in ASHRAE Guidelines 0 and 1.1.. According to the panelist, it is critical that the commissioning authority be involved right from the start—including the project requirements meeting. The owner is not likely to save any money by waiting to include commissioning and provisions for such should be included in the contracts for both designers and contractors.
After a short break, the panelist focused their commissioning discussion on building operation. The conversation recognized that maintenance staff cannot be expected to successfully operating a building from Day 1 if they begin by correcting mistakes made in the design and construction phases, but they can be a determining factor is the success of a building’s operation. Panelists were in agreement that building operators need proper tools, more training and follow-up to solidify their understanding of the building’s design and intended use. Better training and more extensive resources are a must! There is no replacement for continuous commissioning of a building to ensure its proper operation.
