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Thoughts on commissioning from NCBC
April 22, 2008

Hi everyone.

I'm at the National Conference on Building Commissioning this week, at the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel and Spa. I won't be getting to the spa, but the beach view is nice and the gas-flame fire pits have already attracted us long-winter refugees like moths and incited some fun and interesting conversations. One Cx provider talked about being in Burundi to commission an embassy when, in the night, firefights and mortar fire broke out and she and her team had to be whisked out of the country. I asked if Hillary Clinton was with her...

I've been to five or six of the sixteen NCBC's and I have to say it's among my favorite conferences. The technical sessions are good, covering not only the commissioning process, but technologies such as wireless BAS, fault-detection and diagnostics, and real-time demand control. The networking and product expo make for a well-rounded and productive event, and even with more than 400 people attending, the atmosphere is relaxed and intimate.. 

But what makes this event really shine for me are the people. Commissioning providers are really smart about buildings, most of whom are or were MEP designers, and they tend to be fanatics about making buildings work. And, because they need to get work directly with architects, engineers, contractors, owners, suppliers, and facility managers, the human elements of project teams and communications get discussed a lot. Commissioning providers tell great war stories, and these stories often lead to articles that inform designers for future projects.

FYI, David Sellers, PE, is here, and he'll be blogging the NCBC from A Field Guide for Engineers. We had dinner last night, during which he said that he's looking forward to writing about NCBC as it happens. It will be a new experience for him, so check out his blog and let him know what you think. Also, David's article on campus commissioning in the April issue is available online (without the figures, sorry), so check that out, too. You can see the full article with figures in the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer.

As the media partner for the NCBC, Consulting-Specifying Engineer will be publishing selected papers as articles in our magazine and newsletters. There are some excellent papers again this year, which I look forward to getting out into the engineering community starting in May.

One bit of news to impart is that I've asked a number of attendees how business was doing. The short and sweet answer is "GREAT!" Good commissioning providers are booked solid ("crazy busy")  and looking to acquire more staff. They say that commissioning new buildings continues to grow, and retrocommissioning existing buildings is coming on strong, driven by increasing energy prices. One person said he expects to see consolidation among commissioning firms, citing the need to pool resources to handle the work.

Take care!

Posted by Michael Ivanovich on April 22, 2008 | Comments (1)