As we celebrate the holidays and start to wind down the year, I'm reflecting on the progress in our industry in 2022.
One definite area of progress is defining the specialist roles needed to make smart buildings successful. In this series, we're summarizing five vital roles that every smart building program needs on the team.
We talk a lot about the flashy new technology required for smart buildings. But we must always remember that when we're changing how things are done, it's people that make it happen. Here are the five roles:
Since we’re at the end of the series, we'll now turn this into our latest free whitepaper. We’d love to hear from you before we publish: are you playing one of these roles? What are your keys for success?
Let's jump in...
Role 5: The Commissioning Agent
Even before you talk about smart building technology, today’s buildings in general are only getting more complex. We need a coordinated and systematic approach to testing and verifying that all of a building's systems are working together properly. That’s where the commissioning (Cx) agent comes in.
“There are literally millions upon millions of things that all have to go right in construction: to get the building to stand up, to get the windows to open and close, to make the heating and cooling systems perform, etc. The commissioning industry came about because there just needed to be some sort of quality control.”
—Elliott Alvarez, Altura Associates
The Cx agent makes sure the building's systems and components are designed, installed, tested, and operated properly. This includes:
Working with the design team to develop a detailed plan for the building's systems and components. This plan includes specifications for each system, as well as performance and efficiency targets that the systems must meet.
Coordinating with the contractors and other stakeholders to implement the plan.
Conducting thorough inspections and tests of the systems, and verifying that they are working together effectively.
Documenting and troubleshooting any issues that may arise during the commissioning process itself.
Reviewing system performance and making recommendations for improving the performance and efficiency of the building's systems.
The commissioning agent and the MSI roles are complimentary. While the commissioning agent focuses on verifying that the systems are working properly, the MSI focuses on ensuring that they are integrated and can work together seamlessly.
Proper commissioning is vital for at least two major outcomes building owners need today: decarbonization and indoor air quality. By testing and verifying the performance of a building's systems, commissioning agents can identify opportunities to optimize HVAC systems and balance the competing demands of minimizing energy consumption and maximizing fresh air.
In other words, the commissioning process enables smart buildings. But it’s also true that smart building technology enables better commissioning. In my opinion, analytics software must be used to supplement the commissioning agent’s expertise and boots on the ground. Some common use cases include:
Collecting and analyzing data from the building's systems to identify patterns and trends.
Monitoring the building's systems in real-time to detect any problems or anomalies.
Generating reports and visualizations that help commissioning agents communicate their findings and recommendations to the building's owner and other stakeholders.
Automating functional testing to allow more equipment to be included in the scope and allow more testing.
And then once the commissioning process is complete, the analytics software should remain in place throughout the warranty period and the operations phase to supplement an ongoing, monitoring-based commissioning process.
As is the theme in this series, that's easier said than done!
Want to get into the whitepaper? What are your keys for success in these 5 Vital Roles?
—James Dice, Founder of Nexus Labs
P.S. The Nexus Pro community is your chance to rub elbows with the world's best technology driven commissioning agents. Join Nexus Pro to interact with them and pick their brains.
Altura is a mid-sized, mission-driven firm delivering impact and performance across the built environment. From designing and implementing corporate sustainability programs, to manipulating systems in the field to achieve performance, to building the tools that support project teams, Altura is committed to solving our world's macro-level problems through tangible projects today.
If you are interested in working alongside passionate colleagues to make a lasting impact, reach out at careers@alturaassociates.com.
✖ At the Nexus
Here’s everything worth sharing from Nexus HQ this week:
This is the 4th episode in our Google series, which unpacks different facets of their global smart buildings program and dates back to 2020. This one with Kathy is probably where we should have started because as she shares, she was involved from the beginning when it was just a side project she focused on with her 20% time.
She tells the story of how it started, how it’s going, and where it’s headed. Finally, she introduces the concept of software-defined buildings and talks about progress building out the application layer. Fascinating progress here in my opinion.
---
★ MEMBERS-ONLY EVENTS THIS MONTH:
New Member Orientation: Nexus Founder, James Dice, hosted an introduction to the Nexus Labs Community and how you access and take advantage of all the resources that come with your Pro Membership. This is for new members or those who've not taken advantage of all the resources at the Nexus Community.
Nexus Foundations Alumni Office Hours: This monthly event is for Nexus Foundations Alumni. It was hosted by James Dice, Founder of Nexus Labs.
Subject Matter Expert Workshop: The Plug and Process Loads Workshop provided the opportunity to hear from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Plug and Process Loads (PPLs) Technology Research Team about the state of PPL controls and reduction strategies.
Member Gathering: No Gathering due to the holidays.
Facilio is an IoT based Connected Operations platform solution provider for smart building portfolios. As they are rapidly expanding in business, they're looking to add enterprise SaaS & smart buildings obsessed, ever curious, and fun talent to join their existing teams!
This role involves direct sales and selling with different GTM partners in the ANZ region. Prior experience of selling or consulting around smart building technology products or services will be a big advantage. The desired candidate brings a business background that enables them to find, build, and close new enterprise opportunities, foster strategic industry partnerships, and engage at the CXO level, with the ability to articulate and build business cases for the compelling value that Facilio offers its customers around emerging smart building technology use cases.
The Smart Buildings Center Education Program (SBCEP) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that believes the smarter use of technology and practices in the built environment will enable a cleaner, healthier and more productive future.
The SBCEP seeks to establish thought leadership for smart technologies and practices within the built environment, and pursues its objective through the following pillars of activity: delivering training programs to educate the building workforce of the future; enabling industry leading demonstration projects; and connecting the industry through hosting and participating in smart buildings events.
Whenever you're ready, there are 4 ways Nexus Labs can help you:
1. Take our shortcut to learning the Smart Buildings industry here (300 students and counting)
2. Join our community of smart buildings nerds and gamechangers here (400 members and counting)
3. (NEW) Join the Nexus Labs Syndicate for opportunities to invest in the best smart buildings startups that cross my desk each month.
4. (NEW) Our Partner Hub is launching soon. This is an opportunity to be featured on our website, get original content, and tap into the Nexus community. Email us at partners@nexuslabs.online
As we celebrate the holidays and start to wind down the year, I'm reflecting on the progress in our industry in 2022.
One definite area of progress is defining the specialist roles needed to make smart buildings successful. In this series, we're summarizing five vital roles that every smart building program needs on the team.
We talk a lot about the flashy new technology required for smart buildings. But we must always remember that when we're changing how things are done, it's people that make it happen. Here are the five roles:
Since we’re at the end of the series, we'll now turn this into our latest free whitepaper. We’d love to hear from you before we publish: are you playing one of these roles? What are your keys for success?
Let's jump in...
Role 5: The Commissioning Agent
Even before you talk about smart building technology, today’s buildings in general are only getting more complex. We need a coordinated and systematic approach to testing and verifying that all of a building's systems are working together properly. That’s where the commissioning (Cx) agent comes in.
“There are literally millions upon millions of things that all have to go right in construction: to get the building to stand up, to get the windows to open and close, to make the heating and cooling systems perform, etc. The commissioning industry came about because there just needed to be some sort of quality control.”
—Elliott Alvarez, Altura Associates
The Cx agent makes sure the building's systems and components are designed, installed, tested, and operated properly. This includes:
Working with the design team to develop a detailed plan for the building's systems and components. This plan includes specifications for each system, as well as performance and efficiency targets that the systems must meet.
Coordinating with the contractors and other stakeholders to implement the plan.
Conducting thorough inspections and tests of the systems, and verifying that they are working together effectively.
Documenting and troubleshooting any issues that may arise during the commissioning process itself.
Reviewing system performance and making recommendations for improving the performance and efficiency of the building's systems.
The commissioning agent and the MSI roles are complimentary. While the commissioning agent focuses on verifying that the systems are working properly, the MSI focuses on ensuring that they are integrated and can work together seamlessly.
Proper commissioning is vital for at least two major outcomes building owners need today: decarbonization and indoor air quality. By testing and verifying the performance of a building's systems, commissioning agents can identify opportunities to optimize HVAC systems and balance the competing demands of minimizing energy consumption and maximizing fresh air.
In other words, the commissioning process enables smart buildings. But it’s also true that smart building technology enables better commissioning. In my opinion, analytics software must be used to supplement the commissioning agent’s expertise and boots on the ground. Some common use cases include:
Collecting and analyzing data from the building's systems to identify patterns and trends.
Monitoring the building's systems in real-time to detect any problems or anomalies.
Generating reports and visualizations that help commissioning agents communicate their findings and recommendations to the building's owner and other stakeholders.
Automating functional testing to allow more equipment to be included in the scope and allow more testing.
And then once the commissioning process is complete, the analytics software should remain in place throughout the warranty period and the operations phase to supplement an ongoing, monitoring-based commissioning process.
As is the theme in this series, that's easier said than done!
Want to get into the whitepaper? What are your keys for success in these 5 Vital Roles?
—James Dice, Founder of Nexus Labs
P.S. The Nexus Pro community is your chance to rub elbows with the world's best technology driven commissioning agents. Join Nexus Pro to interact with them and pick their brains.
Altura is a mid-sized, mission-driven firm delivering impact and performance across the built environment. From designing and implementing corporate sustainability programs, to manipulating systems in the field to achieve performance, to building the tools that support project teams, Altura is committed to solving our world's macro-level problems through tangible projects today.
If you are interested in working alongside passionate colleagues to make a lasting impact, reach out at careers@alturaassociates.com.
✖ At the Nexus
Here’s everything worth sharing from Nexus HQ this week:
This is the 4th episode in our Google series, which unpacks different facets of their global smart buildings program and dates back to 2020. This one with Kathy is probably where we should have started because as she shares, she was involved from the beginning when it was just a side project she focused on with her 20% time.
She tells the story of how it started, how it’s going, and where it’s headed. Finally, she introduces the concept of software-defined buildings and talks about progress building out the application layer. Fascinating progress here in my opinion.
---
★ MEMBERS-ONLY EVENTS THIS MONTH:
New Member Orientation: Nexus Founder, James Dice, hosted an introduction to the Nexus Labs Community and how you access and take advantage of all the resources that come with your Pro Membership. This is for new members or those who've not taken advantage of all the resources at the Nexus Community.
Nexus Foundations Alumni Office Hours: This monthly event is for Nexus Foundations Alumni. It was hosted by James Dice, Founder of Nexus Labs.
Subject Matter Expert Workshop: The Plug and Process Loads Workshop provided the opportunity to hear from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Plug and Process Loads (PPLs) Technology Research Team about the state of PPL controls and reduction strategies.
Member Gathering: No Gathering due to the holidays.
Facilio is an IoT based Connected Operations platform solution provider for smart building portfolios. As they are rapidly expanding in business, they're looking to add enterprise SaaS & smart buildings obsessed, ever curious, and fun talent to join their existing teams!
This role involves direct sales and selling with different GTM partners in the ANZ region. Prior experience of selling or consulting around smart building technology products or services will be a big advantage. The desired candidate brings a business background that enables them to find, build, and close new enterprise opportunities, foster strategic industry partnerships, and engage at the CXO level, with the ability to articulate and build business cases for the compelling value that Facilio offers its customers around emerging smart building technology use cases.
The Smart Buildings Center Education Program (SBCEP) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that believes the smarter use of technology and practices in the built environment will enable a cleaner, healthier and more productive future.
The SBCEP seeks to establish thought leadership for smart technologies and practices within the built environment, and pursues its objective through the following pillars of activity: delivering training programs to educate the building workforce of the future; enabling industry leading demonstration projects; and connecting the industry through hosting and participating in smart buildings events.
Whenever you're ready, there are 4 ways Nexus Labs can help you:
1. Take our shortcut to learning the Smart Buildings industry here (300 students and counting)
2. Join our community of smart buildings nerds and gamechangers here (400 members and counting)
3. (NEW) Join the Nexus Labs Syndicate for opportunities to invest in the best smart buildings startups that cross my desk each month.
4. (NEW) Our Partner Hub is launching soon. This is an opportunity to be featured on our website, get original content, and tap into the Nexus community. Email us at partners@nexuslabs.online
Join Nexus Pro and get full access including invite-only member gatherings, access to the community chatroom Nexus Connect, networking opportunities, and deep dive essays.
