 |
 |
Agnew Associates
currently provides commissioning services to several clients. The firm has managed
numerous projects ensuring mechanical and electrical systems meet the clients' design
intentions. Agnew Associates employs testing firms to provide services such as testing and
balancing air systems, chemical testing of water systems, and verifying of lighting and
electrical systems. Agnew Associates ensures that all of the systems it designs perform
their best, giving clients "peace of mind" that they are getting what they paid
for.
David
Laughlin, vice president of Agnew Associates indicates that commissioning
is not a new idea but is a new trend. "The construction industry
really views commissioning as a new process. In reality, it has always
been around, usually performed by the owner after beneficial occupancy in
an informal process based on the squeaky wheel principle. When users have
a problem, the maintenance staff works to try to resolve the problem,
resulting in hidden labor costs and dissatisfaction with the
project."
CASE STUDY:
Recently,
Agnew Associates provided commissioning services for Lubbock County on
the second floor renovation of the courthouse. The firm established
the commissioning plan that included all HVAC testing and balancing on
the new variable volume systems to insure that the project as
installed met the owner’s intent.
"One
of the problems with a formal commissioning process is making the
contractor understand the extra procedures and why it is in their best
interest to work through the steps. Coordination and access issues do
not make it to the punch list. It reduces the number of headaches for
the contractor when he is trying to finish-out. The number of
warrantee call backs after substantial completion also drops
significantly."
"To
help facilitate the process we worked closely with the contractor on
scheduling the tests and verification procedures throughout the
project. We also addressed potential service access problems early and
eliminated any deficiencies that are usually left for the test and
balance contractor to find. When the mechanical contractor told us he
was ready for balancing, it went off with no problems. The owner took
possession of the area knowing exactly how the system works, and was
very comfortable with the level of quality the contractor put into the
systems." |
|
