I accepted an assignment of commissioning a 3,400 sq-ft project to apply for a LEED certification. I came in late in the game. It is a non-profit corporation and I´m doing the work as a volunteer service. The construction has been completed. The building is occupied. The owner is very happy with the project. But the documents for Owner Project Requirements and Basis of Design were never developed. What´s the best way to approach this situation?
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Scott Bowman
LEED FellowIntegrated Design + Energy Advisors, LLC
LEEDuser Expert
519 thumbs up
December 15, 2017 - 12:36 pm
This is not an easy situation to overcome from my experience. The project is modest in size and I bet the systems are as well. The first question; were all the other credits applied for and documented? Was the project registered before construction? What caused this disconnect between the construction and commissioning? If the project was completed and then registered to become certified you really need to consider moving to Existing Buildings - Operations and Maintenance for certification. It is not appropriate to retroactively apply LEED for New Construction. If the project was otherwise registered and documented, but for some reason Cx fell through the cracks (it happens), then my advice is to develop a plan of how to develop the documents (the OPR with the Owner, and the BOD with the designers) and how you will complete the commissioning to follow the letter and intent of the standard. This will probably add time to your work to "catch up" but would make the OPR and BOD of value going forward in the life of the building.
Carlos Vazquez
Consulting EngineerCarlos A. Vazquez, PE
December 21, 2017 - 10:01 am
Thank you for for answer Scott. The project was registered on August 2016 and the building was finally occupied on July 2017. So yes it was registered before construction. I will have to go back and see what happened. Then develop a plan to complete the commissioning.
Carlos Vazquez
Consulting EngineerCarlos A. Vazquez, PE
December 28, 2017 - 9:46 pm
Scott, just to verify, isn´t this a case of a Retro-Commissioning process?
Scott Bowman
LEED FellowIntegrated Design + Energy Advisors, LLC
LEEDuser Expert
519 thumbs up
December 31, 2017 - 3:39 pm
Basically, that is correct, you are doing a Retro-Cx process. The issue is if GBCI will allow you to proceed with a new construction certification versus starting over with EBOM. The former would be the best route if you can get that to happen. You and the owner need to build a strong case for why the plan you create meets the intent of the standard. Remember, and I know this is getting old for those that hear me say it too much, do not go to GBCI and ask how you make this happen...go to them with a plan and clearly state why you feel this is in the best interest of the project AND how it complies with the intent of the certification process even if the timing is a bit (or way) off.
emily reese moody
Sustainability Director, Certifications & ComplianceJacobs
LEEDuser Expert
452 thumbs up
October 24, 2018 - 4:17 pm
Carlos, just curious. How did this work out?