Issues and Problems in New Commercial Building Construction
Aug 19, 2014
As the economy continues to recover from the down turn, new commercial building construction is on the rise across the US. As new buildings are being built, more and more building owners are finding that the new building they have just constructed have serious flaws and problems from day one.
It is not unreasonable to expect that new construction means a finished building that is ready to use as soon as it is completed. Unfortunately, new buildings are complex structures with many interconnected systems which introduces opportunities for issues to arise. When looking at the types of problems associated with new construction, they tend to fall into two categories; comfort and health/safety.
Comfort
Problems with building performance are often most keenly felt by the tenants of the building. Issues with systems like temperature, lighting, and humidity control can cause serious discontent among building residents This results in continued complaints and occupant discomfort. The more comfort issues that arise in a building, the greater the cost in terms or repairs and manpower.
Additionally, when buildings suffer from problems such as this it tends to mean that there are underlying problems that can affect the operational budget of the building. For instance, problems related to temperature control can often lead to increased energy consumption. The greater the frequency with which these types of issues arise, the greater the energy use and cost.
Health and Safety
The second area of concern that needs to be taken into account when evaluating the efficiency of a building is health and safety. You should be able to assume that a building, whatever its use, will be a safe environment that will not negatively affect the health of those who use or live in it.
However, if the environment in the building is unhealthy or fostering the growth of dangerous organics like mold, it can lead to tenants becoming ill. This, in turn, can have catastrophic consequences for the building owner in the form of tenant turnover and even law suits. For buildings that are used for educational or hospitality purposes, an unhealthy building is a nightmare scenario. This can happen when a building has problems with air quality, ventilation, moisture, mold, or their HVAC system.
The Solution
Commissioning is a powerful tool for heading off problems with both comfort and health issues. Commissioning can help building owners ensure that things like temperature control and humidity control are handled correctly from day one.
Commissioning has been proven to be an effective tool in maximizing building efficiency and comfort. However it is not uncommon for building owners to believe that the cost to commission a building is too high when added to an already large building construction budget. The truth, however, is that with the improved efficiency from commissioning, utility savings typically pay for the cost of commissioning within a few years. In addition, if commissioning prevents health and comfort problems from ever beginning the building owner is saved the expense of tenant turnover, maintenance, and, worst of all, the effects of an unhealthy building.
Click here to learn more about the cost savings from commissioning both new construction and existing construction.
You may be interested in these other posts:
10 Signs Your Building May Need Existing Building Commissioning
If your building is exhibiting any of these key signs, you may be able to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs through EBCx.
