These days, everyone seems to want a smart building, but taking the desire for a smart building and turning it into a design is difficult to say the least.
The idea for this month’s topic was hatched during a retro-commissioning project, but it offers lessons to be applied to new construction commissioning.
Last month, I discussed the benefits of HVAC infrastructure design-build (DB) opportunities for HVAC consulting firms and HVAC contractors. The two main reasons for pursuing DB HVAC infrastructure projects were twofold:
ATLANTA — ASHRAE is poised for a busy year in 2019. At its 2019 Winter Conference in Atlanta, the 56,000-member engineering association introduced a lengthy agenda that included renovation of a new net-zero world headquarters, the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Pakistan HVACR Society (PHVACR), a pledge to prepare building professionals for the challenges and opportunities of designing efficient and grid-responsive buildings within the changing energy sector, and more.
The HVAC industry continues to evolve, but what does the future of the built environment look like? Engineered Systems’ editors turned to the winners of the AHR Expo’s Innovation Awards to get their take on where HVAC trends and technology is heading.
Each year, the AHR Expo honors manufacturers that are looking forward and breaking new technological ground. Those manufacturers are presented with Innovation Awards covering 10 categories, including building automation, ventilation, heating, cooling, IAQ, and more.
Honestly, the definition of open systems is the most confusing of the three types. Open protocols are pretty straight forward — they’re protocols that communicate with one another.
Much has been written about systems’ readiness for functional performance testing at the end of construction, and pre-functional checklists have become common elements of the commissioning process.
For years, I worked for a mechanical contracting company that shifted its business plan from design-bid-build (DBB) project delivery to design-build (DB) project delivery. The move became very obvious as the optimum way to provide HVAC services.
Constructing a building takes an army. Designers, engineers, general contractors, flooring installers, HVAC contractors, plumbers, roofers, mappers, and surveyors are just a few of the blue-collar experts necessary to optimize a commercial building.