Nate Goodell
Username
Nate Goodell
Proposer First Name
Nate
Proposer Email
ngoodell@taitem.com
Proposer Last Name
Goodell
Proposer Company/Organization
Taitem Engineering
Proposer Phone
(315) 600-8544
Proposer Job Title
Senior Engineer
Boston 2023 Areas of Focus
Proposed Session Description
A review of the most common and significant design issues encountered while commissioning, with recommendations for design engineers on how to proactively identify and avoid similar situations. Topics covered will range from simple maintenance access concerns (filter changes are important!) to how certain design choices can lead to needing extra freeze protection.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Sub-optimal installations and building construction disproportionately impact those who are low income or less willing/able to stand up for themselves. That is particularly true as building systems become more complex and incentive programs incentivize efficiency for low income housing. Ensuring that the systems installed in a building fulfil the performance and operation promises outlined in the project design is critical to ensuring our efforts to level the playing field with these types of incentive programs and rebates are effective.
Learning Objectives
Understand how commissioning supports the design and construction process, and use that understanding to improve how designers interact and communicate with the construction team
Leverage insights from the most common design issues encountered to improve on mechanical, electrical and plumbing designs
Learn what to look for and how to avoid some of the less common, but more significant design issues discovered on past projects
Understand key post-design points where designer involvement in a project can make the difference between successes and failure
Has this session been presented before?
No
Additional Comments
We plan to submit a similar presentation to the NYS GBC conference, and are looking at submitting a separate case study on commissioning all-electric medical buildings to this conference.
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 2 - Some prior knowledge helpful.
Session Format
Collaborative problem-solving session
Presentation followed by facilitated discussion or breakout groups
Session Format Details
We expect to have frequent breaks for examples where the audience will be given the opportunity to attempt to identify an issue (or issues) illustrated by materials being shown. We will then explain what the main issue was, and how to best avoid or mitigate it as a designer. Time spent on these examples will be kept flexible to ensure the presentation stays on schedule (with more or less being given depending on if we are ahead or behind schedule).
Recommended Length
60-minute session
90-minute session
Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2023
Comments about your speaker roster
Both Nate Goodell and Lou Vogel are professional engineers, with experience in both design and commissioning. While this presentation will be focused on taking lessons learned from commissioning and applying them to new designs, it will be presented with a level of familiarity for both of those roles.
Reviewer 1
Davis, Fred
Reviewer 2
Moucachen, Chloe
Proposal #
166
Committee Decision
Being Considered
Presenters
Full Description
As someone who started as a design engineer with 15+ years of commissioning experience, there are certain elements of design that I (and our commissioning team) see time and again on designs and drawings which we know are going to result in problems in the field. Many of these are things that I can identify at a glance when reviewing drawings for our proposals, and which when caught and handled correctly from early design through installation don't need to be a problem, but often end up being one and resulting in some combination of the following: 1) installation delays and cost increases, as systems need to be reworked or repaired so they work as intended, 2) performance issues from non-optimal installation or setup, resulting in inefficient operation or loss of confidence in a new system by an owner, and 3) frustration from all parties.
We catch as many of these as possible as part of drawing reviews, in early field inspections and if not caught earlier, in functional testing, but the best thing (for us, for the designer, the installer and the environment!) is to avoid the issue in the first place. The goal of this presentation will be to highlight the most common and easily addressed problem areas and provide tools for designers to either avoid the issue, or understand what sort of oversight and communication (and when) can avoid a costly mistake. We will also touch on some of the more significant and less obvious issues that we have seen, with the intent of ensuring that those attending are aware of these potential pitfalls and can take steps.
This is particularly relevant now, because we, as an industry, are moving faster and faster, both in adoption of new technologies and construction of new buildings. We are doing it with a limited skilled workforce, meaning that workers are spread thin, project delays are harder to recover from, and design issues that might be caught by an experienced installer are missed. When things go wrong on a project, those involved rarely have the luxury of considering the right solution instead of the expedient one. This means that more and more buildings are operating with compromised systems from day one. This has impacts on efficiency, resiliency (as those safety factors and flexibility built in by the engineer are already committed) and occupant comfort which only grow as the building ages.