Total Building Commissioning

Case Study of the U.S. District Courthouse Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Presented by Boggarm S. Setty, P.E., ASHRAE Fellow President Setty & Associates, Ltd.

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Abstract
Principles and Procedures of Total Building Commissioning (Cx) are

Presented as a Case Study of the U.S. District Courthouse in Salt Lake City,
Utah, USA The 10-story Building has an Approximate Floor Area of 357,000 Gross

Square Feet (33,166 Gross Square Meter) and has an Estimated Construction
Cost of $177 Million Focuses on Several Phases in Design Phase and Envelope Commissioning

Findings and Conclusion of Total Envelope System

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Introduction to U.S. District Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

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Introduction
Most Buildings, if not Commissioned, Operate Ineffectively and Consume More Energy Commissioning Standards have been Developed for HVAC and Envelope System during the Past 10 Years GSA requires Commissioning Process for Quality Delivery; a Process for Achieving, Validating and Documenting Performance of Total Building and its Systems

The New U.S. District Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA has been
Selected as a Case Study

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Case Study
Design for the New Courthouse Started 10 Years Ago

Construction Began in 2011 and is Expected to

be Completed in 2014 It will Serve Seven Districts, Three Magistrate

Courtrooms and 14 Chambers for Judges

Designed to Achieve LEED Gold Certification and in Accordance with PBS Facilities Standards P-100 Intended to Verify Overall Performance of the System compared to a Base Building Design
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FIG:

U.S. District Courthouse in Salt Lake City, UT

Total Building Commissioning Process

Four Phases of the Commissioning Process:
Phase 1: Development of the Owners Project Requirements (OPR)
Phase 2: The Design Phase, which Includes Schematic Design and Development of Construction Documents Phase 3: The Construction Phase Phase 4: The Post-Occupancy Phase

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Total Building Commissioning Process

Owners Project Requirements (OPR)
Category 1 System Site and Land Use Sub-systems 1. Irrigation 2. Storm Water Management 3. Courtyard Fountain 4. Site Lighting 1. Foundation 2. Envelope 1. HVAC Components and Assemblies

Filtration, Water Treatment

2 3

Material Resources Energy Consumption

Curtain Walls, Opaque Walls, Doors, Roofing Chillers, Boilers, Pumps, Fan and Air Distribution System, Piping System, and Control Systems Switchgear, Transformers, Emergency Generators, Motor Control Centers, Distribution Panels, Exterior and Interior Lighting

2. Electrical Power

TAB:
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System categories and examples of sub-systems, components and assemblies for commissioning in the new U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City
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Total Building Commissioning Process

Owners Project Requirements (OPR)
Category 4 System Hot and Cold Water Distribution Systems Sub-systems 1. Potable (domestic) water 2. Non-potable water Components and Assemblies Pumps, Filters Cooling Tower, Make Up Water, Humidification, Pumps, and Heating and Cooling Coils Drainage and Vent Piping Filters, Demand Control Ventilation Sound Transmission through Walls, Reverberation Times in Courtrooms Air Distribution, Control System

3. Sanitary 5 Indoor Environmental Quality (Pre- and Post-occupancy) 1. Air quality delivered by air handling units 2. Acoustics 3. Thermal conditions in occupied spaces 4. Lighting conditions in occupied spaces Case Study Focuses on System Categories 2 5
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Fixture Layout, Dimming and Daylight Control, Occupancy Sensors

Total Building Commissioning Process

CHART:
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Flowchart for Commissioning the Enclosure, MEP, and Control Systems

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Total Building Commissioning Process

Design Stage Commissioning Activities
During Schematic Design, Design Development, and Preparation of Construction Documents, the Submittals were Reviewed with Regard to: The Basis of Design (BOD) The Owners Project Requirements (OPR) MEP and Control Systems were Reviewed and Commented Additional Commissioning Specifications were Prepared Additional Meetings were Conducted

Commissioning Agent (CxA) submitted Administrative Deliverables

Commissioning Schedule Milestones Commissioning Plan Outline and Updates
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Total Building Commissioning Process

Early Construction Commissioning Activities
Phase 1: Commissioning of Early Construction Stage Activities included: Submittal Reviews were Performed and Recommendations were Provided on Key Building Enclosure and MEP Shop Drawing Submittals for Doors, Windows, Curtain Wall, HVAC and Other Electrical Systems Reviews of the Envelope System were Conducted by Observation of Mock-up Construction for Compliance with the Project Documents and Approved Shop Drawings

Installation Checklists were Developed for Major Components and Assemblies

Observations of the On-site Building Enclosure Construction were Conducted to Assess Compliance with the Project Documents
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Total Building Commissioning Process

Envelope Performance Testing
Phase 2: CxA observed Laboratory and Field Mock-up Testing of the Envelope System for Compliance with the Project Documents and the Approved Shop Drawings Laboratory Testing for Curtain Wall Performance Field Testing On-site Testing of Curtains Walls, Exterior Doors and Windows, and Roof Flood Testing

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Findings
Findings from Design Reviews and Early Construction Field Testing
Case Study Focuses on the Envelope and MEP System Performance:
OPR Criteria for Commissioning the Systems were Incorporated into the Drawings and Specifications Enabled Coordination Sensor-controller-controlled Devices for the HVAC Control System were Identified on

the Drawings at the Request of the CxA

Pre-functional and Functional Performance Requirements were Determined in the Early Stages of Design For the Envelope System, Water Leakage and Air Infiltration Criteria were Incorporated into Project Drawings and Specifications CxA Reviews of the Design Documentation Resulted in Recommendations to the Design Team for Cost-effective Performance Enhancements
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Findings
Mock-up Tests for the Envelope System
Two sets of Mock-up Tests were Conducted on Envelope System

August 23, 2011:

Fabrication of the Unitized Curtain Wall Panels were Observed by the CxA, with Specific Concern for Seals that would be Concealed when the Mock-up is Constructed

September 9, 2011: Mock-up of the Envelope was Observed by the CxA, with Particular Focus on the Quality of the Splice Joints and

Terminations of the Curtain Wall Assembly

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Findings
On-site Test Method for Envelope System
Water Leakage Testing was Conducted in Accordance with ASTM E 1105-00 (Re-Approved 2008). The OPR and Procedures for Air Leakage Testing had not been Determined and Air Leakage Testing has not been Conducted. In Accordance with the ASTM Criteria to 0.2.5 CFM/sq ft of Fenestration.

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Findings
On-site Test Procedure for Water Leakage
On May 23, 2012, a Static Pressure Water Penetration Test was Performed The Perimeter of the Test Chamber was Attached and Sealed to the Interior Faces of the Horizontal and Vertical Mullions Surrounding the Glazing at the Top
FIG: View of test specimen area from the exterior

and Sides and to the Concrete Floor Slab at the Bottom

Test Chamber was Equipped with Centrifugal Blower/Vacuum Pump. Water Penetration Tests were Conducted at 8.0 psf (39 kg/m2) and Spraying Five Gallons of Water per Hour per Square Foot (203.73 liter of Water per Hour Per Square Meter) Testing Continued for 15 Minutes
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FIG:

Location of Test Specimens in Test Section

Findings
Performance Criteria for Water Leakage
Definition of Water Leakage Water Beyond a Plane Parallel to the Glaze Test Protocol no Water Leakage was to be Observed of the Test Area for 15 Minutes

Water Leakage Test Results

Specimen 1A 1B 1C 1D 1E Observation Leakage at Two Locations No Water Leakage No Water Leakage No Water Leakage No Water Leakage
TAB:
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Remediation Additional Sealant installed

Final Result Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass

Summary of Water Leakage Test 1

Conclusions
Successful Total Building Commissioning (Cx) is Highly Dependent on the Clarity and Timeliness of the Criteria and Procedures that are Defined in the Owners Project Requirements (OPR) Cx is More than a Design Process; Commissioning of the Physical Systems to Pre-set Criteria from the Beginning is Critical to the Success

Credible Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation and Testing early in the

Construction Process Informs the Design-construction Team to Improve Quality Control during and after Construction

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Methodology for Acquiring Cx Data

IAQ

CO2

VOCs

CO

Filtration

Examples HVAC Controls: Design Review Controls Review OPR Issues Energy and Utility Goals Study of TAB Study of Sequences Pre-functional Tests Start-up and Verification Final Cx Plan Data Logger Program
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Thank you!
Contact Information: Boggarm S. Setty, P.E., ASHRAE Fellow President Setty & Associates, Ltd. www.setty.com bsetty@setty.com