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Guideline P.1 Design and Construction Process

Intent

To support the compliance and outcome tracking process by facilitating the creation and communication of relevant project goals and information.

Required Performance Criteria

  1. Develop an Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) document, beginning at the predesign or equivalent phase. This document is developed in coordination between the owner, commissioning authority, architect, engineer and any other relevant stakeholders. A commissioning authority must be established at the predesign phase to complete the early-phase goal setting. The OPR includes:
    1. A list of the authors who developed the document and assisted in early team kickoff and goal setting meeting(s).
    2. All sections listed in Section 6, Appendix D of ASHRAE 202-2013.
    3. A preliminary SB 2030 Energy Standard, as created through the SB 2030 Energy Standard Tool.
    4. Regular updates and developments as the owner’s requirements change and project details become available.
    5. The requirement that trend data is able to be saved for major equipment for a minimum of two months if a building automation system is requested in the OPR.
  2. Develop a Commissioning Plan (Cx Plan) from the OPR with the assistance of the architect, engineer, commissioning authority and owner. The Cx Plan should follow section 7 and Appendix E in ASHRAE 202-2013.
  3. Develop a Basis of Design document (BoD) from the OPR with the assistance of the architect, engineer, commissioning authority, and owner. The BoD should follow section 8 and Appendix F of ASHRAE 202-2013.
  4. Develop a safety risk assessment of indoor air quality issues for projects that are attached to occupied buildings (“new building” additions or “major renovations” only).
  5. Develop indoor air quality procedures according to a Construction Air Quality Management Plan and Warranty Period Air Quality Management Plan. The Construction Air Quality Management Plan and the Warranty Period Air Quality Management Plan must have at a minimum the sections outlined in Templates P1E-1 and P1E-2.

Recommended Performance Criteria

  1. Assemble an appropriate stakeholder team that includes representation from every discipline involved in the project, including: the owner’s decision-making team, users, occupants, operations and maintenance representatives, at least one representative from the community, and at least one agency “client” or visitor representative. An owner representative and commissioning agent must also be included, if applicable. Members must make a commitment through post-occupancy.
  2. Facilitate planning/review workshops at key phases with all team members.
    1. In Predesign:
      1. Comprehensive planning workshop
      2. Programming workshop
    2. In Design:
      1. Conduct facility performance workshop within the first 2–3 weeks of the design phase.
      2. Convene a multidisciplinary team at least once per design phase for integrated progress review toward guidelines.
      3. Convene a stakeholder team for regularly integrated progress reviews. Stakeholder team to meet a minimum of once per phase.
      4. Convene general contractor and subcontractors for preconstruction kickoff meeting to review the B3 Guidelines goals and objectives.
      5. Discuss progress toward project outcomes during construction meetings.
    3. After occupancy:
      1. Convene facility operations manager, human resources manager, and others who offer cross-disciplinary points of view on facility operations for annual meetings to review operation practices, complaints, and building maintenance issues.

Note that Guideline P.1 includes several sub-guidelines: including P.1A and P.1B, which are typically performed by a commissioning agent. The remainder of the guidelines under P.1 are not typically within the scope of the commissioning agent and are instead usually assigned to the mechanical engineer or contractor because they relate to developing the design response (the BOD) or planning specific construction and warranty period air quality. Sub-guideline P.2A may fall under the scope of the commissioning agent, design mechanical engineer, or other team members, according to the owner’s needs. Sub-guideline P.2A involves capturing specific operation parameters essential to optimal building operation. Support for this process may be available from the SB 2030 Operations Team.

To meet the guidelines, an owner must engage a commissioning agent as early as a potential project is identified during the predesign of the project to assist the owner in developing the Owner’s Project Requirement (OPR) document. The creation of this document outlines the goals and requirements of the owner. It is useful to have the assistance of the commissioning agent in its creation, as they will be verifying the design and construction against these requirements. The OPR document lays out several key requirements of a building’s design and operation.

The OPR also creates a set of fundamental requirements that the commissioning agent can check the completed project against, rather than relying on the plans and specifications for validating the success of the design and construction process.

The Basis of Design document (BoD) is developed after the OPR and consists of information related to the specific design of the project in order to create a common understanding of how the OPR is being achieved by the design of the project. This document may also serve as a reference for owner input and approval of design decisions as needed.

The Commissioning Plan (Cx Plan) document provides an outline and documentation of measuring how the design, construction, and operation of the building meet the OPR.

Each of these documents should be edited and developed as the design and the project requirements evolve.

Predesign:

  • P.1A: Owners Project Requirements (OPR ).
  • P.1B: Commissioning scope and commissioning budget.
  • P.1D: Safety risk assessment if work is to be done to an existing building (either a renovation or addition).

Design:

  • P.1A: Updated OPR.
  • P.1B: Draft Cx Plan.
  • P.1C: Draft Basis of Design (BoD).
  • P.1D: Updated Safety Risk Assessment.
  • P.1F: Members of stakeholder team.
  • P.1G: Meeting minutes of goal setting workshops.

Final Design:

  • P.1A: Updated OPR.
  • P.1B: Final Cx Plan.
  • P.1C: Updated BoD.
  • P.1D: Final Safety Risk Assessment.
  • P.1E: Specifications Requiring Construction Air Quality Management Plan.
  • P.1F: Updated members of stakeholder team.
  • P.1G: Dates and attendees of planning and review workshops

Closeout:

  • P.1B: Commissioning report, including system manual and training plan.
  • P.1E: Construction Air Quality Management Plan.
  • P.1E: Warranty Period Air Quality Management Plan.
  • P.1F: Updated members of stakeholder team.
  • P.1G: Updated meeting minutes of planning and review workshops.

Occupancy – Submitted annually for ten years:

  • Cx Report (only for year 1 if not captured at closeout).

ASHRAE Standard 202-2013: http://www.techstreet.com/standards/ashrae-202-2013?product_id=1862482

SMACNA IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction https://www.smacna.org/store/product/iaq-guidelines-for-occupied-buildings-under-construction

Federal Energy Management Program Building Program: energy.gov/eere/femp/federal-energy-management-program

LBNL Study Building Commissioning: A Golden Opportunity for Reducing Energy Cost and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: http://cx.lbl.gov/documents/2009-assessment/lbnl-cx-cost-benefit.pdf

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