Henneman Engineering Serves as Owner’s Advocate in Commissioning Process

A Conversation with Kyle Lambert, P.E., CEM

As Director of Commissioning Services in Henneman’s Dallas office, Kyle Lambert describes his philosophy on commissioning and how it works. With 13 years in the engineering industry, he has a strong background in commissioning having worked on health care facilities, higher education, research facilities, industrial buildings,utility plants, airports and municipal building projects.

Kyle shares his thoughts on commissioning below, noting that Henneman strives to act as the owner’s advocate in the building design and delivery process.

What is the goal of the commissioning process?

The goal of commissioning is to deliver projects to owners that function properly and that can be maintained properly on the day of owner occupancy. Commissioning is a quality control and quality assurance process aimed at making sure building systems perform in accordance with the owner’s requirements and the design intent.

What is your philosophy on commissioning?

Commissioning is not a one-time event. It’s a comprehensive process. As commissioning agents, we are often involved from design through construction and we have an important role to play as a part of the project team. By promoting collaboration, cooperation and transparent communication, the commissioning agent can be a catalyst for quality improvements.

How does sustainability play a role?

From a quality control standpoint, sustainability is very important in the commissioning process. We make sure that the operations and maintenance staff are inheriting systems that are functionally sound and can be properly maintained. In that respect, properly commissioned buildings have a much higher probability of achieving sustainable objectives over the life of the facility.

Throughout the process, we check for accessibility issues. If a system can’t be accessed then it can’t be commissioned. If it can’t be commissioned then it can’t be maintained.  If it can’t be maintained, it won’t be sustained.

Why is it important for you to get involved early in the process?

As commissioning agents we get involved early in the design phase to make sure that all the functional performance and accessibility issues are being addressed. We work closely with the architects and engineers to bring issues and potential problems to the surface so that beneficial dialogue and transparent communication can work in favor of an overall higher quality project.

When you have a third-party commissioning agent involved, they can serve objectively as an owner advocate to make sure the owner gets what they are asking for. That’s where Henneman commissioning services can make a big impact. We are a set of professional eyes looking at the project from the owner’s viewpoint with a focus on operational functionality and sustainability.

What are some of the most important steps in the commissioning process?

First is our early involvement in design review and quality control process. Second is our responsibility in writing the commissioning plan and commissioning specifications during the design phase. These documents outline for the contractors how they will interact with the commissioning team, and are vital to the success of the project

Just as important are the services we provide that support quality control during the construction process when equipment and systems are being installed. We perform system readiness checks and functional performance testing on a variety of mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment and systems.  We work closely with the contractor to make sure all systems are fully operational and that the owner’s personnel have received proper operational training.

Throughout the process, we provide the owner with updates and status reports about issues that are discovered during observational site visits, system readiness checks, start-up procedures, functional performance testing and O&M training. At the end of a project, owners get a comprehensive final commissioning report from Henneman.  Our systematic commissioning process is thoroughly and carefully documented.

Why is it so important for a building to be commissioned?

When you don’t commission a building, it takes much longer to get “the bugs” worked out. With the complex nature of today’s sophisticated controls technology and the increasing trend towards high performance buildings, things like performance efficiencies, energy savings and sustainability goals are all at risk unless an objective third party can verify that design objectives have been achieved during the installation and construction process.

So, by minimizing risk, we help maximize the owner’s investment.  We ultimately provide owners with peace of mind so that they don’t have to spend time or money fixing things that should have been taken care of during construction. When the commissioning process is properly implemented, warranty call backs are sharply reduced which allows owners to spend less time focusing on a poor performing facility and more time focusing on their organization’s core mission.  

Give an example of a project you are currently involved in.

The Killeen Police Headquarters is a large municipal project the Dallas office is currently working on.  With the design phase complete, construction is scheduled to begin soon. This is a good example where Henneman was involved early on as the commissioning agent and was able to identify a number of concerns in certain aspects of the design.

We worked in a cooperative and collaborative manner with the architects and engineers during design. It was important to partner with them to make sure the design on the Police Headquarters was as solid as it could be and to add value during the design process.

Commissioning agents often play a large role in obtaining LEED-certification. For the Killeen Police Headquarters, we are doing both fundamental and enhanced commissioning as part of this process.

What is most rewarding to you about commissioning?

Systems are very complex today and having an impartial third-party look at everything objectively really gives the client peace of mind.

At the end of the construction phase, when the commissioning process is properly applied, I get a lot of satisfaction knowing we helped our clients by resolving operational and functional issues prior to occupancy. It is rewarding to think that our commissioning group is improving project quality so owners can enjoy their facilityand focus on their core mission. That's what being an Owner's Advocate is all about.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Paul Boland, P.E.

Vice President – Director of Champaign Office

Growing up on a farm in Illinois gave Paul Boland his first experiences and love of engineering. Early on he was curious about how things worked and was fascinated with machinery. His mechanical background and strong aptitude in math and science helped launch his successful 25-year career in the engineering field where he serves today as Director of Engineering for Henneman Engineering in Champaign, Illinois.

“I believe my experiences growing up on a successful grain farm in Illinois were very formative in my development of the love for engineering,” Paul explains. “Working for my parents gave me an early and full exposure in operating, repairing, and optimizing the operations of large farm machinery and developed a sense of responsibility and work ethic,” he said.

As Director of Henneman’s Champaign Office, Paul manages mechanical and electrical engineering projects with an eye for quality, scheduling and customer satisfaction. Paul is a mechanical engineer by training and his experience includes many successful higher education building systems projects for both new construction and renovation. He has led air quality and mold remediation projects in both healthcare and higher education.

Today Paul oversees projects for clients mainly in healthcare, higher education and government. Paul and his team at Henneman just completed phase one of what he describes as his most challenging and rewarding project to date — The Illinois State Capital.

“My favorite accomplishment and one that I am most proud of is our work in the design and management of the project: Renovate HVAC Systems in the Illinois State Capitol and Renovation of the House of Representatives and Senate Chambers,” Paul said.

He continued, “Our design and construction team on this project was awarded the “Pride in Partnership Award” from the Illinois Capital Development Board for this project. This single award is given to the project that best exemplifies teamwork and collaboration between the owners, our Henneman Engineering design team, and our contractors.”

What sets Henneman apart from the rest? It’s the people Paul says. “We have both a knowledgeable and caring group of engineers. We are known for our good judgment. I am fortunate to lead a group of engineers who are innovative, yet respectful of the client’s desires and budget.”

As far as industry trends, Paul says there is a strong emphasis on sustainable design which Henneman supports and has designed several LEED-Silver projects. Another important trend he talks about is energy efficiency and says we will see more geo-thermal and natural ventilation systems.

Paul has come a long way from the grain farm of his youth where he first discovered his love of engineering, but says he still loves what he does today.

He wraps up by saying, “So many of the projects we work on at Henneman are for the betterment of people. The projects we do touch lives. I get so much personal satisfaction from that.”