New Building Commissioning: Smart Quality Assurance for New Buildings
A Proactive Investment to Ensure that Your New Building Performs Exactly as Intended.
At DMA Engineering, we deliver expert commissioning services that maximize efficiency, reduce operational risk, and create long-term comfort and value.
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What is New Building Commissioning?
Think of commissioning as quality assurance for new buildings. New building commissioning can help pave the way for a healthy and cost-effective future for all new residential and commercial builds. Commissioning for new construction is a process that ensures a building’s systems and components match the owner’s specifications. The process brings together designers, contractors, owners, and other stakeholders to conduct a wide range of activities from documenting system details to performing tests and inspections. The goal of new building commissioning is to make sure every aspect of the building’s new systems will meet or exceed owner’s performance standards. If problems arise, solutions are quickly implemented to prevent further issues and costly consequences.
- Owner’s operational needs are met
- Building systems and equipment perform efficiently
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Equipment failures and maintenance costs are minimized
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Operators are properly trained and occupants are comfortable
Ready to Talk About Your Project?
Let us walk you through our commissioning approach and send you the roadmap.
DMA’s commissioning begins early in the design phase, as recommended by ASHRAE and other industry standards, and continues for at least 12 months after occupancy. This allows owners the time to adjust and optimize the systems to ensure satisfactory operation. Unlike retro-commissioning (for existing buildings), new building commissioning starts from scratch and lays the foundation for decades of reliable performance.
Commissioning a new building calls for a collaborative style and a cross-disciplinary approach. The objectivity, independence, experience, and professionalism of your commissioning partner determine whether you, your building owners and their occupants will experience a successful outcome. Choose an engineering firm with the reputation and background to deliver proven results. Misunderstandings and omissions in building projects are far more common than they should be, making early commissioning critical.
Optimize Your New Building's Performance and Potential
At DMA Engineering, we understand that a building must be viewed holistically, where the performance of each system can directly impact the efficiency and functionality of other areas. Our expert team is dedicated to delivering comprehensive commissioning services for new buildings, ensuring optimal performance from day one and minimizing costly issues down the road. When you choose DMA Engineering, you’re partnering with a team committed to enhancing your building’s efficiency, comfort, and savings over its lifetime.
Key Benefits of New Building Commissioning
Modern building systems are complex and require a high level of oversight to ensure your clients’ full satisfaction with the finished result and performance. DMA Engineering recommends and leads new construction commissioning plans to maintain accountability, prioritize efficiency, save money, and minimize risks for the best possible outcome. Below are some of the ways that new building commissioning reduces risk and increases value for owners.
Energy Efficiency & Cost Savings
Commissioning identifies and corrects inefficiencies in HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems, significantly reducing energy consumption and operating costs.
Extended System Lifespan
By ensuring optimal performance from the start, commissioning extends the life of building systems, aligning with sustainability goals and reducing the need for premature replacements.
Enhanced Occupant Comfort
Commissioned buildings provide superior lighting, ventilation, and temperature control, creating a healthy and welcoming environment for occupants.
Why New Building Commissioning Matters
Commissioned buildings tend to experience far less downtime during their usable lives, saving considerable money for building owners.
Energy Savings
Identify and correct building inefficiencies in mechanical, electrical, ventilation plumbing and other systems, to cut energy consumption and operating
costs.
Longer Lifespan
Extend the life of new building systems, ensure decades of utility and value, and align with building performance goals and owner requirements. Owners save money through reliable, efficient lifetime performance.
Occupant Comfort
Create a healthy, safe and welcoming atmosphere for occupants. Ensure proper operation of HVAC, plumbing lighting and temperature to maintain comfort and intended use.
Code Compliance
Meet codes, meet or exceed compliance standards and avoid costly delays and noncompliance penalties.
Reduced Downtime
Prevent those problems before they start. Buildings that are properly commissioned operate more smoothly, with fewer failures, less downtime, and reduced operating costs.
Commissioning is especially important for buildings with Direct Digital Control (DDC) and Building Automation Systems (BAS). These complex systems regulate HVAC, lighting, power, and other essential functions. Without proper commissioning, these automated controls may not operate as intended, leading to inefficiencies and costly issues down the road.
Building commissioning has emerged as the preferred method of ensuring that building systems are installed and operated to provide the performance envisioned by the designer.
~ Continuous Commissioning Guidebook, U.S. Department of Energy
FINANCIAL CASE: Commissioning Saves Operating Costs
Savings resulting from commissioning offsets the cost of implementing a building commissioning process. Recent studies indicate that on average, operating costs of a commissioned building range from 8–20% below that of a non-commissioned building.
— Continuous Commissioning Guidebook, U.S. Department of Energy
Since 2005, total building commissioning has been considered the nationwide standard for public spaces, government buildings, and critical facilities.
It’s becoming more common for building owners to request training as part of their building commissioning services – which is something DMA Engineering can provide.
Modern building systems are complex and require a high level of oversight to ensure your full satisfaction with the finished result. DMA Engineering directs a new construction commissioning plan to maintain accountability, prioritize efficiency, save money, and minimize risks for the best possible outcome.
The investment is well worth it. U.S. Department of Energy figures show the operating costs of a commissioned building can be up to 20% lower than those of a non-commissioned building. Plus, a properly commissioned building provides decades of maximum occupant comfort.
DMA Engineering's Proven Commissioning Approach
Our proven commissioning expertise spans all stages of a building project. At every step along the way, we verify that design and construction decisions align with the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) proactively address potential issues, and provide guidance to maintain project integrity, schedule and budget. This full-lifecycle approach ensures that systems are properly installed, function as designed, and deliver lasting operational value.
Step 1
Pre-Design Phase
Define the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR), establish performance goals, sustainability targets, and budgetary constraints to guide the project from inception.
Step 2
Design Phase
Review schematic designs and construction documents to ensure clarity, constructability, and alignment with the OPR, preventing costly redesigns and delays.
Step 3
Bidding Phase
Evaluate bids to ensure cost reductions do not compromise the OPR and Basis of Design, safeguarding the owner’s intent and project integrity.
Step 4
Construction Phase
Oversee installation, conduct functional performance tests, and verify system integration to ensure all components work seamlessly together.
Step 5
Acceptance & Handover Phase
Deliver complete documentation, training, and final verification that systems work as intended.
Step 6
Ongoing Commissioning Phase
Use advanced tools like Skyspark to monitor and optimize performance long after occupancy.
We’ve completed more than 100 successful projects using our proven approach to delivery end-to-end quality assurance in mechanical systems, building automation, HVAC and plumbing for new commercial and residential buildings. We invite you to view the roadmap and understand the benefits.
Our commissioning process includes a full evaluation of your building through our certified commissioning expertise before any equipment is ever installed. To guarantee the optimal levels of energy efficiency for high-performing buildings, new building commissioning may include review and testing of:
- Building Envelope
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning Systems (HVAC)
- Building Automation Systems (BAS)
- Lighting
- Electrical
- Plumbing
- Life Safety
- Security
- And other important systems
Let’s start a conversation about your project needs. Contact us and we’ll explain exactly how our proven approach can benefit your new building.
Risks of Skipping New Building Commissioning
As a critical step in the process of creating a new building, commissioning should never be skipped. In fact, this upfront investment clears the way for the building owner – residential or commercial – to get the exact building they want according to owner’s project requirements (OPR), while operating at the highest possible performance levels and at the lowest possible cost.
Ideally, the building owner can hire a commissioning agent even before hiring a design team. The purpose of this proactive commissioning is for the building owners to get the exact building they want according to their OPR, owner’s project requirements.
Failure to commission a new building can lead to:
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Higher energy consumption and inefficient systems
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Premature or frequent equipment failures and costly replacements
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Uncomfortable indoor environments that affect productivity
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Long-term maintenance burdens and costs
New building commissioning prevents these problems before they start.
Don’t Let This Happen to You
Allow us to share some lessons from the field that others have learned the hard way.
Instead of proactively commissioning a building, many builders try to push through the warranty phase and leave problem-solving to the maintenance personnel once the building is operational. However, building engineers today are overworked, understaffed, and managing increasingly complex systems with tighter budgets. If a building isn’t set up correctly from the start, it can take years for the maintenance team to identify the issues.
By then, costly workarounds or abandoning existing equipment in favor of alternative solutions may become the only options —both of which can lead to even higher costs and long-term inefficiencies. Buildings that are not properly commissioned often experience discrepancies between design intent and actual system performance. Common problems include:
- Incorrect sequences of operation
- Misunderstood or misconfigured control systems
- Unresolved deficiencies that persist long after occupancy
Bottom line: a single, small deficiency in just one building system component can result in a lifetime of sub-optimal performance among many other components and systems.
With new building commissioning, you can avoid the pitfalls that too many teams miss.
Did You Know?
- Commissioned buildings tend to experience far less downtime during their usable lives, saving considerable money for building owners.
- It’s becoming more common for building owners to request training as part of their building commissioning services – which is something DMA Engineering can provide.
Since 2005, total building commissioning has been considered the nationwide standard for public spaces, government buildings, and critical facilities.
Why Choose DMA Engineering?
For more than 16 years, DMA Engineering has set the standard for new building commissioning:
- 100+ successful projects across across diverse sectors and building types
- Specialists in building automation, HVAC/R, LEED certification, and energy consulting
- Best practices in the industry to maintain the highest performance
- End-to-end solution to help your building operate at its peak from day one
- Partnership through construction phase plus 12 months after completion
- Collaborative, hands-on approach with owners, contractors, and operators
- Ongoing monitoring and optimization for maximum building performance
New Building Commissioning
If you’re evaluating commissioning partners, we are here to walk you through our proven approach and share the complete methodology.
Commissioning Case Studies
GROUNDWORKS ART LAB, Boulder, CO
Groundworks Art Lab, Boulder, CO (formerly known as Studio Arts Boulder)
New Construction Commissioning (12,500 sq ft)
DMA Engineering assisted Groundworks Art Lab (formerly known as Studio Arts Boulder in the creation of its new and expanded space, designed to be sustainable and safe for both its students and the community.
After 40 years in North Boulder, Groundworks Art Lab partnered with Barrett Studio Architects and DMA Engineering to design a 12,500 sq. ft. facility for ceramics, wood, metal, print, and glass art. A core principle for Groundworks is to prioritize sustainability, aiming to have a positive impact on our local community and the planet.
DMA Engineering performed the energy modeling and commissioning of ground source heat pump mechanical system to accommodate creative processes such as painting, welding, pottery, and kiln work. These activities generate various air quality challenges, making HVAC systems crucial for ensuring the well-being of artists and preserving artworks. Through the commissioning we identified areas to provide better air sealing to meet code and corrected missing back draft dampers in the mechanical system, errors with the equipment operation, incorrect lighting controls – all to optimize the system operation, reduce noise and increase energy efficiency. We are in the process of implementing ongoing commissioning using Skyspark that will monitor system operation and energy use per code requirements.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, Rocky Mountain National Park
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, Rocky Mountain National Park
New Housing Commissioning Project (4,652 sq ft multi-use building, 675 sq ft garage and two duplex units of 2,000 sq ft)
DMA Engineering successfully provided comprehensive commissioning services for a new National Park Service residential facility. The project consisted of a 4,652 square foot multi-use building featuring a 675 square foot garage and two duplex units totaling approximately 2,000 square feet distributed across two levels. Our firm served as the Contractor’s Commissioning Representative (CCxR) in accordance with National Park Service Specification Section 01 91 14.
Key project elements included:
- Mixed-Use Development: Combined residential units with auxiliary support spaces
- Multi-Residential Configuration: Two duplex units designed for National Park Service personnel
- Federal Commissioning Standards: Full compliance with National Park Service specifications
- Energy Efficiency Focus: Implementation of sustainable building systems and operations
As the designated CCxR, DMA Engineering delivered Planning and Documentation as well as Testing and Verification
SLATE HOTEL, Denver, CO
SLATE HOTEL, Denver, CO
New Construction Commissioning (140,000 sq ft)
DMA Engineering undertook Code Required Commissioning services for The Slate Hotel, a project spanning 140,000 square feet with 37,500 square feet dedicated to mixed-use space, 6,000 square feet for meeting space, 258 rooms across 3 floors, and a 120-stall parking garage. The scope involved ensuring the new hotel met all city and building owner requirements, including functional testing of equipment and witnessing equipment startup to validate correct procedures.
Expanding an already complex role, DMA provided in-depth commissioning, offering a narrative on the processes that caused developer delays and outlined corrective actions for project completion. Alongside building code mandated commissioning services, DMA delivered a comprehensive formal report to Stonebridge Companies, documenting the chronology of system deficiencies and errors that had impacted equipment startup prior to DMA’s arrival on the project.
SPLUNK OFFICE BUILDING, Boulder, CO
SPLUNK OFFICE BUILDING, Boulder, CO
New Construction Commissioning (42,000 sq ft)
Working collaboratively with the construction team, DMA Engineering commissioned the mechanical systems for Splunk in Boulder, CO, to successfully meet the opening date and ensure that the building would operate smoothly for the new occupants. DMA delivered commissioning reports for ongoing maintenance and permit closeout.
Commissioning Plans included all tenets of LEED Certification, including Installation Sequences, Manufacturer’s Factory Testing Certificates, Cx Status Check Sheets, Pre-Installation Check Sheets, Pre-Start Checklists, Manufacturer’s Check, Test and Start Forms/Field Reports, Functional Test Forms, Performance Test Data/Report, Duct Leakage Testing, Training Plan/Attendance Sheets/Reports, Pipe Flushing and Cleaning Plan, Water/Water Treatment Reports, AHJ Approval Documentation, Lube/Filter/Maintenance Reports, Various Project Specific Certifications/Field Test Reports, Cx Reports, and Transmittal Records.
RTD UNION STATION, Denver, CO
RTD UNION STATION, Denver, CO
New Construction Commissioning (54,000 sq ft)
DMA’s Project Manager, Robin McIntosh Jr, served as an integral member of the owners’ representatives for RTD (Regional Transportation District) during the commissioning of the $300 million, 54,000 square foot Union Station Transportation Hub—a comprehensive facility with 22 underground bus bays located in downtown Denver, Colorado. DMA was actively engaged in the commissioning of the exhaust fans, mass notification system, plumbing system, building automation system, and snow-melt system.
In a hands-on capacity, our project manager traveled to Tennessee to witness the hour-long test of one of the crucial 200 Horsepower exhaust fans, designed to withstand an hour of 500-degree heat. These fans played a key role in the smoke management system and the exhaust system for the underground bus terminal.
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER, Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences Building
Commissioning and Cold Air Infiltration Investigation
DMA Engineering was contracted to investigate persistent cold air infiltration issues at the CIRES Building (#225), focusing on the area above the 3rd floor ceiling. The facility had experienced recurring frozen pipe incidents and uncomfortable thermal conditions in 3rd floor offices. Our team was tasked with determining the sources of cold air infiltration through comprehensive diagnostic evaluations and developing targeted recommendations for resolution.
Project Challenges
- Identify sources of cold air infiltration affecting the building envelope
- Evaluate potential thermal bridging and insulation failures
- Assess recent HVAC modifications and their impact on building performance
- Develop evidence-based solutions to prevent future pipe freezing incidents
- Improve occupant comfort in affected office spaces
DMA Engineering implemented a multi-faceted diagnostic approach:
- Thermal Imaging Analysis,
- Ceiling Insulation Inspection
- HVAC Performance Verification
- Airflow Measurement and Analysis
Our comprehensive report provided actionable intelligence including:
- Detailed findings with photographic documentation
- Annotated building drawings highlighting problem areas
- Thermal imaging results with temperature analysis
- Equipment performance data and compliance assessment
- Prioritized recommendations for remediation
- Cost-effective implementation strategies
Key Staff: Steven Forrester, Dan Schmied
Industry Sectors We Serve
Healthcare
Education
Government & Civic
Commercial & Office
Residential & Mixed Use
Hospitality
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We’re here when you’re ready to talk about new building commissioning. We look forward to helping you do it right, right from the start.
Start your New Building Commissioning Project Now.
If you’re evaluating commissioning partners, we’d be glad to walk you through our proven approach and share the complete methodology.
We apply industry best practices to ensure every system performs at its highest level — from day one through the first 12 months of operation and beyond. Our hands-on, collaborative approach keeps owners, contractors, and operators aligned for lasting performance.
We look forward to connecting.
