This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
BSEE BUILDING CONTROLS


Malcolm Anson, President of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) looks at the key reasons why buildings fail to perform as intended and why building performance continues to take a back seat to building design.


Advertising: 01622 699116 Editorial: 01354 461430


BUILDING PERFORMANCE Finding a long‐term solution


are quite often the first thing to go – the question is why?


B ‘ Building


controls are key to bringing buildings to life. We should highlight this point and show that without building controls to ensure everything works in unison you really do just have a building which can not only be dysfunctional but could also fail to perform as intended resulting in higher operational, energy and maintenance costs.





It seems apparent that often from the very start of a building’s lifecycle, at the design and build stage, there is a distinct lack of understanding of building controls and their value. For a building to perform as intended there is a need for everyone involved to have an understanding of building controls and the benefits they can bring in order to achieve optimum building performance.


One of the key reasons why buildings are failing to perform is the fact that the commissioning process often suffers due to build delays and commercial pressures. For example, it is often planned in for a period of several days to ensure it is completed properly, however in practise it may be cut short and crammed into a few days to ensure practical completion. This results in the end user not receiving any training, meaning they have little or no understanding of how to ensure the building performs as intended in the long-term.


A full commissioning process and handover with in depth training should be essential, post contract handover, if necessary this would be one step closer to achieving long-term building performance resulting in energy efficiency, and lower operation and maintenance costs.


A common viewpoint is that building performance offers no commercial incentive. Designers are often led by the aspirations of the client who wants a building which looks good, resulting in other important parts of the building being left out due to cost implications. This quite often includes vital elements of the Building Energy Management System (BEMS). Building performance needs to have a commercial incentive to show that long-term performance is not only important but essential for the building to be sustainable.


A need for education


Ultimately for perspectives to change there is a need for education to show the true value of building controls and how long-term building performance


uilding controls are responsible for the long- term performance and energy savings of a building and yet when the budgets are cut they


can save the client money and give them a return on their investment. Engaging with and educating the client right from the very start is important. Most building owners have limited understanding of what it is they are getting, to them it is just a building. We need to show them it is much more than this and can do so much for them. The client needs to see that their decisions to remove or reduce a vital part of the BEMS will have a lasting effect on performance.


Building controls are key to bringing buildings to life. We should highlight this point and show that without building controls to ensure everything works in unison you really do just have a building which can not only be dysfunctional but could also fail to perform as intended resulting in higher operational, energy and maintenance costs. Perhaps we can learn something from the automotive industry because when anything goes wrong with a car it is returned to the manufacturer for repair and they take full responsibility for the long-term performance of the vehicle. However, in a building, if an item of plant fails we must contact the manufacturer of that individual item to fix it because there is no single person responsible for the long-term performance of a building. Perhaps this is the way forward and is something that requires serious consideration in the future.


Addressing the challenge


So how do we address the challenge of building performance? There is no single solution, since each building is unique. Perhaps we therefore need to create a collaborative approach that can be applied to all types of building at the design stage.


Collaboration is key to taking a step closer to finding a long-term solution to building performance. There needs to be more communication between


26 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MARCH 2017


everyone involved in the process, from design and construction to the end user to ensure there is a greater understanding of the importance of building controls and all of the elements which make up the BEMS. Another area we need to address is training. Building controls are complex and with technology constantly changing, there is a vital need for skilled building professionals and engineers to ensure controls are installed and operated correctly.


Skilled engineers


Careful consideration is also required around how to retain consistency in our industry, ensuring there is a continuous supply of skilled and knowledgeable engineers. There are currently very few young people entering the industry, we must be more pro-active and encourage young people to consider a career in building controls. We need to show that a controls engineer is not just any old job, it is an exciting long-term career option, bringing with it many opportunities including nationally recognised qualifications and career progression.


The next generation are the future of our industry and will play a crucial role in ensuring we continue to tackle the issue of building performance head on, which I’m sure will be ongoing for some time. We need to ensure we deliver a positive and exciting message to young people and engage with them at a young age, showing them the many opportunities our industry can offer them.


We need to find a new way to state the value of building controls in building performance; this will go a long way in effectively addressing the issue of building performance and ultimately finding a long-term solution.


www.bcia.co.uk VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.bsee.co.uk





Collaboration is


key to taking a step closer to finding a long‐term solution to building performance. There needs to be more communication between everyone involved in the process, from design and construction to the end user to ensure there is a greater understanding of the importance of building controls and all of the elements which make up the BEMS.





Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48