Integrating occupant wellbeing with resource efficiency In recent years our firm has seen a shift where the green building industry is moving toward “human-centered design”, i.e. integrating occupant health and wellness with energy efficiency in buildings. Rating systems such as WELL™ and FITWEL® focus on improving occupant comfort, health, and productivity through operational and design […]
Part 1: Defining and Identifying High Energy Buildings in the US The architectural and engineering community in the U.S. has engaged in designing energy-efficient buildings and helping building owners optimize energy performance in existing buildings since the American Society for Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) introduced Standard 90.1 – Energy Efficient Design of New […]
Every building owner has to ask themselves that question. It’s inevitable and a long, hard look at the answer can sometimes be what stands between them and significant cost savings. It comes at no surprise that the biggest energy and cost drain is the HVAC system. So, the next question is then, “How much will […]
Building enclosure (or envelope) commissioning (BECx) is a process by which the performance of a facility is evaluated and verified against the specific quality requirements of the owner. The commissioning team in charge of BECx is involved throughout the entire project, from the pre-design phase through the operations and maintenance phase. From the start, the […]
The term “commissioning” is more and more frequently heard in every conversation about building construction, whether it’s new building construction or looking at the performance of an existing building. But what exactly is commissioning? The word has naval beginnings. A ship, especially in wartime, had to be commissioned before it was ready for active duty. […]
Building energy modeling has been used for many years to show compliance with local energy codes and to document energy performance-related points in beyond-code rating systems such as LEED® and Green Globes. When used in this manner, energy modeling is typically seen as a necessary evil – just another box to check at the end […]
As of April 8, 2016 all projects registered under the LEED v2009 BD+C for New Construction rating system will be required to achieve a minimum 18% reduction in energy cost over ASHRAE 90.1-2007. This is an 8% increase over the previous minimum requirement of 10%. Additional increased energy thresholds apply to other ratings systems as […]
Once a facility is built and fully operational, what assurances does the owner have that the building will perform as intended? Operational energy performance is a priority for building owners, and as the old adage goes, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Without actionable, systems-level data on energy usage for our facilities, performance decay […]
Modern building enclosures are designed and constructed using numerous complex systems and materials. Combined with demands for quality, durability, schedule, and energy performance, it’s not surprising that the building enclosure represents the majority of building failures and construction defect claims. Simply defined as a quality-based process implemented to evaluate and verify the owner’s project requirements […]
Facility owners are becoming more in tune with the fact that 90% of a building’s lifetime cost is tied to operating cost, while only about 10% is dedicated to construction. This realization is driving owners and building professional organizations to compile increasingly sophisticated levels of facility operation and maintenance documentation. The amount of documentation required […]
The design and construction industry has made great strides in the past decade towards creating more sustainable and higher performing buildings. Building owners pursue green buildings for many reasons: operational cost effectiveness, marketing, ethics, occupant health, natural resource conservation, among others. Several industry organizations have formulated standards or rating systems to guide the development of […]
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare industry has evolved and will continue to for the foreseeable future. Hospitals have been tasked with becoming more efficient, with fewer resources, and adapt to the new marketplace. However, buildings are decaying, becoming more inefficient, and costing more to operate year-after-year. When buildings and equipment […]
In late spring 2012, SSRCx began utilizing a cloud based database, Building Start, to execute the commissioning process for all new construction projects. Building Start is mobile workflow management software that merges a cloud based project management platform with a mobile, offline workflow and audit trail system. This unique combination allows the assignment and sequencing […]
The building enclosure (envelope, skin, etc.) represents one of the highest risk elements of construction. Water intrusion, air leakage, and increased energy consumption are common consequences of poorly designed and constructed building enclosure systems. An effective building enclosure commissioning (BECx) and testing program can reduce these risks along with associated long term effects such as […]
Project teams pursuing certification under the LEED® v4 Building Design and Construction rating system should carefully examine their commissioning process and scope, as the updated rating system includes several new requirements and options for building commissioning. Following is a selection of significant changes in commissioning requirements, based on information currently available within the LEED v4 […]
