by Brianna Crandall — June 17, 2022 — The nonprofit National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) has partnered with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Building Commissioning Association (BCxA), the AABC Commissioning Group (ACG), and international certification association NEBB to advance and revise the Building Commissioning resources on the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG).
The WBDG’s Building Commissioning section presents information about current approaches and processes as well as overcoming challenges and emerging issues. It also has been expanded to address Existing Buildings and Ongoing Commissioning.
Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, interim CEO of NIBS, stated:
The Whole Building Design Guide is a crucial resource. The built environment should be informed by the latest in research. The WBDG is the only web-based portal to provide one-stop information on a wide range of building-related guidance, criteria, and technology.
The WBDG is organized into four major categories: (1) Design Recommendations, (2) Project Management / Operations & Maintenance, (3) Federal Facility Criteria, and (4) Continuing Education. At the heart of the Guide are hundreds of Resources Pages, reductive summaries on a variety of topics.
Building Commissioning requires a detailed and team-oriented process. Image courtesy of WBDG
Development of the WBDG is a collaborative effort among federal agencies, private sector companies, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions.
Gerald J. Kettler, PE, CCP, CIAQM, TBE, BEAP, REM, CEM, managing principal and owner of Facility Performance Associates, helped spearhead the Commissioning section update. Kettler explained:
The commissioning process is an emerging and growing industry where the entire commissioning team, including design, construction and operations, needs to communicate and understand their functions to maximize the results of the project. This understanding that commissioning is not an event but a process that extends from project start through design, construction and operation benefits all team members. The commissioning industry needs to provide information and training to enhance the process as it has done in this WBDG revision.
For more information, see the Building Commissioning section on the Whole Building Design Guide site. NIBS brings together labor and consumer interests, government representatives, regulatory agencies, and members of the building industry to identify and resolve problems and potential issues in the built environment.
