Engineering for Performance

Commissioning (Cx)

Commissioning (Cx) is a systematic, quality and proactive process, based on effective communication, coordination and collaboration of all its members, in order to defend the interests of the client and deliver a building with high energy efficiency.

TAAGBUILD offers a professional Commissioning service for LEED certification, based on the methodology of “Integrated Project Delivery” satisfying all the requirements for Commissioning of LEED certification.

The systems will be submitted to the Commissioning process according to LEED for version 2009, v4 or v4.1 in the Energy and Atmosphere category for compliance with the credit and LEED prerequisite:

• Fundamental Commissioning (Cx)

• Enhanced Commissioning (Cx)

The systems to go through the Commissioning Process are the following:

• Air conditioning, heating and ventilation (HVAC) system, its equipment and controls

• Plumbing system, including distribution system, pumps and controls

• Electrical system, including service, power, medium and low voltage distribution, lighting and controls, including natural light sensors, emergency services and lightning protection

• Renewable energy production system

• Building envelope (optional)

Whole-Building Energy Modeling (BEM)

Energy simulation (BEM - Whole-Building Energy Modeling) is an indispensable tool for optimizing design decisions, elements and energy systems to improve the future performance of the building.

For LEED certification it is required to document a minimum improvement of the energy performance of the project of at least 10% (v2009) and 4% (v4) against the performance of the base case (ASHRAE 90.1 - Appendix G), validating the strategies proposed to achieve optimal levels of energy performance.

We take into account the interaction between building systems and components and integrate them into a single computerized model where we identify and evaluate energy saving strategies for architectural design, mechanical and electrical systems.

TAAGBUILD will carry out the modeling of the base building complying with the requirements of ASHRAE 90.1 (sections 5.4, 6.4, 7.4, 8.4,9.4 and 10.4) including the energy costs and using the geometry of the proposed building, likewise the proposed building will be modeled with the energy systems as defined by the client and his project team to finally deliver the final comparative report between both models and evaluate the energy savings of the proposed building on the base case.

Daylight Analysis

Daylight Analysis can help your project achieve a better design and performance by taking into account the efficiency of lighting systems and the conditions of the project during the design process to correctly determine the actual energy balance of the building, increase the quality of the design of the lighting system, as well as to select optimal parameters of fenestration. Unless daylighting is paid attention to from the early design stages, just like structural and thermal considerations, the building will most likely not develop its full potential for optimal daylighting performance.

According to WELL, exposure to appropiate amounts of natural light reinforces the aligment of our circadian rhytims and reduces dependence on electricity for artificial lighting.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a tool with amazing flexibility, accuracy and breadth of application. It is a computer-based tool for simulating the behavior of systems involving fluid flow, heat transfer, and other related physical processes; This simulations are primarly used for assesing natural ventilation or mechanical ventilation performance goals, ensuring indoor air quality, optimal HVAC system design and performance efficiency.