CLIMATE CONTROLREFRIGERANTS
From construction to occupancy – the importance of soft landings
While specifying the right cooling and heating technology at the construction stage is of course essential, maintenance and ongoing commissioning – particularly to check seasonal performance – is key to ensuring buildings meet the parameters of their design brief. We caught up with seasonal commissioning manager, Stewart McGillivray, from Guardian Water Treatment, to discuss the common issues he sees and the benefi ts of real-time monitoring in ongoing building performance and soft landings.
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n building and facilities management, ‘soft landings’ refers to the process of smoothly transitioning from construction to operation of a new or refurbished building. It involves a
collaborative and phased approach to ensure that the building performs as intended, meeting the design objectives and providing optimal comfort and functionality for occupants.
Heating and cooling demand is seasonal, and we need the technology responsible for temperature control to deliver when it is needed most. Seasonal commissioning is a crucial activity post practical completion which involves observing and testing HVAC when run at peak demand – cooling equipment during the height of summer, heating when it’s cold and mid seasonal operation, with occupant levels at their optimum.
Building maintenance teams and FMs have a responsibility to support buildings in working as they were designed; seasonal commissioning is a key part of this remit, heavily infl uencing favourable soft landings.
During seasonal commissioning, FMs, building managers
or external consultants review thermal comfort, ventilation and lighting, using measurement and occupant feedback. Particular attention is paid to critical areas within a building,
general optimum space temperatures, heating and cooling plant fl ow and return, AHU supply and BMS trends. Building services are checked against the design values of the scheme. Energy consumption is also monitored and recorded. Interim maintenance or equipment failure should be logged so it can be checked during seasonal commissioning. Interventions may aff ect the impact of the original design intent. Soft landings are written into contracts, but the reality is, their aims can be hard to achieve and quantify. Many of the issues that can hamper HVAC systems working as they should are hidden, particularly in closed-circuit
systems, their identifi cation only taking place when there is a problem, by which point the issue may prove very costly and disruptive to rectify. Corrosion, for example, is an unseen enemy, lurking within pipework and remaining undetected until there is a leak, by which point expensive repairs will be required.
For FMs who are contractually obliged to maintain climate conditions within a building, whilst also preventing downtime, faulty temperature control can lead to expensive liability cases. In the summer and winter in particular, broken HVAC can render a building uninhabitable. Where this heating and cooling is responsible for asset maintenance – in data centres or pharmaceutical environments, for example - the costs of downtime can run into the hundreds of thousands, if not more. There are a number of factors that go into successful soft landings which include strategy, training, monitoring and proof.
Strategy To ensure the desired outcomes are achieved, a soft landings
strategy is essential. Designed to ‘bridge the gap’ between design and performance, this strategy should involve close collaboration between all key stakeholders, including designers, contractors, and facilities managers, throughout the project lifecycle.
BSRIA BG74/2019 – Success Criteria for Soft Landings, details key areas where soft landings should be measured against: ■Energy consumption ■Economic or fi nancial need ■Social and well-being need ■Sustainability and environmental aspect ■Functionality.
20 September 2023 •
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