Project Commissioning & Leed
We provide consultancy, by means of qualified personnel, for the drafting of project commissioning programs and LEED certifications achievement.
WHAT IS PROJECT COMMISSIONING?
Project Commissioning is the process of verification meant to guarantee that all the systems and components of a building or of an industrial plant are designed, installed, tested, operated and maintained on the basis of the operational requirements of the owner or of the end client. Project Commissioning may be applied not only to new projects, but also to extension works, refurbishment or revamping works on existing systems.
In practice, Project Commissioning includes the integrated application of a set of control techniques and procedures aimed at checking and testing every operating component of the project, from the individual functions, such as tools and machinery, to the most complex systems.
The Commissioning activities, in a broad sense, are applicable to all the phases of the project, from the preliminary phase to the executive phase, procurement, construction and assembly, to the final delivery to the client.
Commissioning of large civil and industrial projects (such as chemical and petrochemical plants, oil and gas platforms and pipelines, metallurgical plants, paper and cellulose mills, coal handling plants, electrical and mechanical equipment, buildings, bridges, highways and railroads) is a complex and sophisticated technical specialty that may be considered a distinct specific engineering discipline, as important as the traditional ones (civil, marine, chemical, electrical, electronic, instrumentation, automation and telecommunications engineering).
The main objective of commissioning is to make the safe and planned delivery of the unit, be it one piece of equipment or a complete system, from the constructor to the owner, guaranteeing its operability in terms of performance levels, reliability, safety and information traceability. When executed in an efficient way, commissioning represents an essential factor for the fulfillment of the schedule, costs, safety and quality requirements of the project.
For complex projects, the large volume and complexity of commissioning data, together with the need to guarantee adequate information traceability, normally leads to the use of powerful IT tools, known as Commissioning Management Systems, to allow effective planning and monitoring of the commissioning activities.
WHAT IS LEED?
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is one of the most popular green building certification programs used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and new neighborhoods, that aims to help building owners and operators use resources efficiently and in an environmentally responsible way.
The main points in achieving the certification may be summarized in terms of energy and water saving, reduction of the CO2 emissions, improvement of the ecological quality of the materials and of the resources, the occupancy criteria, the design choices, the design in compliance with the technical standards of the industry and the choice of the geographical location for the installation, with respect to the environment and to the neighboring activities in the area where the building will be constructed.
The accreditation system of the LEED certification is based on the assignment of credits for every single requirement that is fulfilled during the design and construction phases.
Buildings may be assigned four certification levels:
- Certified: 40-49 points
- Silver: 50-59 points
- Gold 60-79 points
- Platinum: 80 points or more
Each of the performance categories also have mandatory measures in each category, which receive no points.
LEED certification is granted by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), which handles the third-party verification of a project's compliance with the LEED requirements.
The new revision, rev 4 of the rating system, was released in November 2013. Until October 31, 2016, new projects may choose whether to apply the “LEED 2009” or the “LEEDv4” rating system. All the new projects registered after October 31, 2016 must comply with the new revision LEEDv4.
The user of a LEED-certified building must monitor the energy and water consumption data of the building for at least five years after occupancy (for new construction) or date of certification (for existing buildings).
The certification process for design teams is made up of two stages: DESIGN credits and CONSTRUCTION credits.