Kent Barber, PE, LEED AP, Managing Principal, Keithly Barber Assocs., Burien,

Commissioning documents: necessary evil

ASHRAE and other authorities on building commissioning have promoted three commissioning-related documents—the owner's project requirements (OPR), basis of design (BOD), and systems manual (SM)—as valuable commissioning tools that not only facilitate effective commissioning, but also provide valuable information to operators and designers throughout the life of the building.