ABSTRACT
Commissioning was originally used by the Navy to ensure that battleships and submarines functioned properly before they were sent out to sea. It has been adopted and adapted within the building construction industry to apply to many different building systems. ASHRAE provides a definition of building commissioning in its Guideline 1-1996 (ASHRAE, 1996, p. 23):
Commissioning is the process of ensuring systems are designed, installed, functionally tested, and operated in conformance with the design intent. Commissioning begins with planning and includes design, construction, start-up, acceptance, and training and can be applied throughout the life of the building. Furthermore, the commissioning process encompasses and coordinates the traditionally separate functions of systems documentation, equipment start-up, control system calibration, testing and balancing, and performance testing.
