Thermography of the whole building to assess continuity of insulation and air barriers. Carry out performance testing on exterior cladding assemblies such as windows, curtain wall, etc. Review and comment on the architectural drawings and specifications at various stages of development. Attend design charrettes and aid in the schematic design and design development stages of a project. “The BECxA is a specialist in designing, testing, and building of specific building envelope assemblies under the expected conditions (both interior and exterior) on the type of building that is being considered”1.Ī BECxA will act as an independent reviewer and can perform many duties including but not limited to the following: A Building Envelope Commissioning Agent (BECxA) will perform the commissioning of the building envelope. This could save the owner and contractor money in the short term by reducing the number of callbacks and even in the long term by increasing the chances of avoiding expensive lawsuits because of failures that stem from deficiencies during construction, deficiencies that could have been avoided if BECx was part of the project quality control procedures. BECx can be beneficial from the viewpoint that testing will identify deficiencies that may exist with a product (such as a window that does not meet the design criteria when installed) during construction stage, providing the owner and contractor with the opportunity to have deficiencies repaired before the end of the project or before product and workmanship warranty periods end. Too often it seems, products installed on site do not meet the requirements of the project specifications and contracts agreed between owner and contractor. Even for projects that are not seeking LEED certification, BECx can be a requirement set out by the design authority or owner, to verify whether the performance of the final product complies with the design requirements of the project. 
LEED requires that the commissioning process (CxP) for the building’s envelope is completed in accordance with ASHRAE Guideline 0–2005 and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Guideline 3–2012, Exterior Enclosure Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process, as they relate to energy, water, indoor environmental quality and durability. “The enhanced commissioning credits are mandatory, with additional options for Enhanced and monitoring-based commissioning, and Envelope commissioning1. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system. BECx can involve testing the building as a whole (whole building air leakage testing, thermography) or a specific component or assembly such as a window (water penetration/air leakage testing) or wall.Ĭurrently the Government of Alberta requires all new construction and major renovation projects to meet a minimum of Silver certification under LEED V4, the U.S. Not something anyone wants to see or have to deal with shortly after the completion of a new building.īuilding Envelope Commissioning (BECx) is a great way to test the performance level of a building envelope and verify that the envelope was constructed in general conformance to the project documents, and will perform to a level that will meet the demands of weather conditions the envelope will be exposed to. Imagine you are part of a project team that finishes a project and, shortly after completion, you get a call back because of water leakage issues during a storm.
By Niall McCarra, Bsc., CET, LEED AP BD+C
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