Chapter List

INTRODUCTION

As commercial and institutional buildings have become more complex, the traditional methods for building start-up and final acceptance have proven inadequate. The increased complexity of building systems is a response to energy conservation requirements, to the need for safer work environments, to demands for improved indoor air quality and better comfort control, and to technological advancements in teaching and research methodologies. Distributed digital control systems help to meet these needs but add sophistication and complexity. Thus, the entire process of acquiring new facilities must also become more sophisticated in order to keep pace with the complexity of new technologies and to get the required performance from them.

The process of commissioning is relatively new to commercial and institutional building construction. The model for building commissioning derives from commissioning industrial facilities and naval ships. Industrial facility controls are dry-lab tested extensively before installation in the facility. After installation, equipment and controls are further extensively tested and calibrated to ensure that production starts up on schedule and continues with maximum operational reliability.

Similarly, components and systems on naval ships are tested at dockside and then pushed to the limits during sea trials. Commissioning attempts to break whatever is prone to failure and to discover whatever design and installation errors exist.