VIRTUAL COMMISSIONING FIRSTS
2007 - Virtual Commissioning Inc., founded. The first firm to ever use the term 'virtual commissioning' or the phrase 'VirtualCx.' Other companies have started using the term, but we're the originals. We not only started it all, we even made it our name.
2009 - Initial deployment of our commissioning software called VirtualCx (subsequently rebranded as biix).
2010 - We coined the phrase Cx 2.0 in 2010, and have several articles describing our emerging vision of the role of commissioning.
2011 - Virtual Commissioning was the FIRST commissioning firm to receive the designation Certified Building Commissioning Firm.
2012 - Virtual Commissioning co-developed one of the nation's first courses for commissioning technicians, Smart Building Technician 1, rolled out for California Community Colleges.
2014 - Together with our sister company biix, we invented a new commissioning process (circa. 2014) called the Five Levels of Commissioning. Please scroll down for more information.
Some of our LEED Firsts -
- First LEED EB Platinum in California
- First LEED Gold data center in the United States
- First LEED transit center in California
COMMISSIONING OVERVIEW
Most projects focus on commissioning catalyzed by LEED. LEED generally focuses on MEP and BMS/controls. A rising movement, exemplified by California's Building Code Title 24, emulates LEED, and in some cases may expand upon what's become referred to as Green Building Standards.
Owner's are beginning to implement other measures, including Whole Building Commissioning (WBCx). WBCx gazes beyond the traditional commissioning scope, and examines other systems including building envelope, irrigation, green roofs, grey water recycling, access control, security, smoke control and much more.
Labs, medical facilities and data centers have systems which general-use buildings typically never see, including fume hoods compressed air, nitrogen, vacuum, reverse osmosis, redundant power, PDUs, ATSs, UPSs, and fuel oil systems.
VirtualCx is familiar with all of these systems, and is fully qualified to write comprehensive test scripts for your project.
Contact us today.
Contact us today.
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THE FIVE LEVELS OF COMMISSIONING
An Industry First — ‘Levels’ of Commissioning
VirtualCx, in conjunction with our strategic partner biix, provides a method to quantify the thoroughness of the commissioning effort, by offering five (5) levels of commissioning. More importantly, it provides building owners and operators with practical, useful, up-to-date information — right now. This can save an enormous amount of time and labor later.
A Way to Measure Results
The Five Levels of Commissioning makes it easy to measure the robustness of the information of your project or your building. Do you have what you need? Is it organized and accessible? Can others access it when they need it? Is excellent security protecting your information?
Superimposed
The Five Levels of Commissioning are not designed to replace the conventional commissioning processes. Rather, they are a layer superimposed above the commissioning process. The Five Levels are designed to increase the value of commissioning in practical ways.
Built-In Functionality
The term ‘Five Levels’ is not apparent within biix. But it’s all built into the five sections encompassing each asset’s individual form:
- Basic Asset Information
- Nameplate Information
- Resources
- Operation & Maintenance
- Systems Verification
What are ‘Levels’ of Commissioning?
Well, first of all it is not levels of complexity. Instead, it is something far more practical. biix’s levels of commissioning provide both useful ways to measure commissioning’s results and, more importantly, provides additional levels of thoroughness and everyday usefulness. And usefulness counts.
biix transforms commissioning from dry and tired data stored in 3-ring binders or dusty PDFs, into dynamic, handy information from day one. biix’s levels of commissioning makes a Smart Building even smarter. By making you smarter.
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SMARTER BUILDING, SMARTER YOU
Basic Levels or Modules
Level 100 — Asset Information
Provides basic individual asset information, location, etc.
Provides individual asset depreciation
Level 200 — Nameplate Information
Provides more comprehensive asset information, including nameplate data
Includes warranty and contact information
Level 300 — Resources
Provides valuable design, construction, BMS, SOO’s, 1-lines, as-builts, executed commissioning & TAB docs, etc.information — a click away
Level 400 — Operations & Maintenance
Provides maintenance forms, checklists, training videos, SOPs and more
Level 500 — Systems Verification
Provides ready-made and blank Cx and RCx test forms, scripts, sign-offs, Cx Plan and Final Report templates and related Cx documentation
