Commissioning Of
Building Envelope |
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Building Envelope Commissioning is critical to
ensure that the building envelope performs as intended
and meets the established performance criteria by
providing the desired thermal properties and resisting
air and water migration. Due to the increased
reliance by the mechanical systems on building envelope
performance, failure of the building envelope can
result in reduced occupant comfort, unrealized energy
savings, and deterioration of some building envelope
components. These building envelope failures can also
result in costly repairs to re-establish the desired
performance and may damage the reputation of the
sustainable building industry. In Canada and the United
States, building envelope commissioning is often
misunderstood due to the lack of standard terminology
and practice.
This misunderstanding leads to confusion around the
scope of services required to ensure that the building
envelope performs as intended. Using examples from
project experience and the commissioning framework
provided by both NIBS (National Institute of Building
Sciences) Guideline 3 and ASHRAE (American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air- Conditioning Engineers)
Guideline 0, building envelope commissioning and
building science consulting will be defined and their
issues discussed. This discussion will include an
overview of emergent and varying terminology in use in
Canada and the United States, including LEED®
Canada NC-1.0 Durability Credit MRc8.
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