Holistic commissioning brings benefits throughout the life of project and involving from the early planning stage reaps rewards for the owner, delegates at CW’s UAE Infrastructure Conference were told today.
“Commissioning at its best is when we are involved from the planning stage, speak with the owner at the beginning to understand their requirements then defend those requirements throughout the job,” said Kirk Rosenbaum, senior commissioning manager at KEO International Consultants.
His presentation on Holistic Commissioning was well received by delegates judging by the questions he received at the end.
He argued that commissioning throughout the life of a project was applicable not only to buildings but also to wide infrastructure projects.
“We were involved with a building where access, fire alarm systems and the HVAC had been tested,” said Rosenbaum.
“But when we carried out an integration check we discovered that the fire alarms did not work in remote areas, that the AC did not shut down and the doors did not unlock.
“Holistic Commissioning impacted directly on that to uncover a vital area.” He offered examples where the early involvement of holistic commissioners had saved money, and said that it frequently does by offering independent checking throughout the project.
“We check one component on fitting to ensure 200 are not fitted before they are known to be suitable, we spot deviations from the original architects drawing at a stage early enough to save later rectification,” said Rosenbaum.
He said that commissioning saves 15-20% energy, means a reduction in construction and turnover problems, picks up human error. “Commissioning costs are completely repaid correcting problems at an early stage,” he said.