scope:

FOREWORD:

A MESSAGE TO BUILDING DESIGNERS AND OWNER/OPERATORS

DURING THE PAST DECADE major advances have been made in the technology related to building equipment and control systems but there is still a large gap between designed, expected operation and the actual operation of buildings. This gap impacts the indoor environmental quality and the energy use of many buildings around the world.

I have spent more than 40 years working with buildings as a designer, an energy manager, overseeing the design and construction of new buildings, and finally as the head of Facilities at a University where I was responsible for all aspects of the physical infrastructure of the university facilities. As a result, I have experience firsthand that all too often the best designs and intentions do not actually come to pass. There are many reasons that this situation occurs:

• designers are not always focused on operability during the design process-designers need to develop their great designs with a focus on effective operation,

• buildings are increasingly more complex- we include technology to improve operations,

• buildings do not always end up working as intended and operators are often being over-whelmed-effective orientation and training are required.

Numerous studies have determined that the building owner/operator can increase Human Capital by optimizing the physical environment to improve performance. This can be accomplished by adhering to prescribed comfort conditions known to enable the human body and brain to operate at their best. These conditions relate to clean oxygenated air, thermal conditions of temperature, humidity and air movement, light conditions, acoustics, and layout of space.

In 2015, the authors of the Harvard study also evaluated the results of their previous study in cost/benefit terms. They found that doubling the ventilation rate would cost less than $40 per person per year in all climate zones investigated and would improve the performance of workers by 8%. This was equated with a $6,500 increase in employee productivity per year (MacNaughton et al. 2015). They also updated the numbers, approximating the annual savings of $125 billion in 1993 dollars is roughly $186 billion in 2015 dollars. They noted that even with conservative estimates, the increased productivity of an employee is more than 150 times higher than the energy costs associated with increasing ventilation (MacNaughton et al. 2015).

It is widely accepted that improvements in the indoor environment can return large value in the performance of the building's occupants. We have also seen a focus on the importance of the quality of the indoor environment, related to the health of building occupants, during the 2020 COVID pandemic.

While the occupant performance is extremely important, we must not forget our commitment to the Environment, we need to provide an effective indoor environment while not wasting energy. The use of the latest technologies, Internet of Things (IoT), and operational analytics can help to assist in the effective operation of buildings to provide responsive indoor environments while minimizing the use of energy.

This guide was developed to help facility owners, designers, commissioning providers, and building operators provide safe, comfortable, efficient, and affordable conditions in the built environment. ASHRAE sees an immediate need to provide useful resources for facility personnel to identify and evaluate the myriad operational options and opportunities as they become available. Designing for Operational Excellence: Intentional Design for Effective Operation and Maintenance provides building owners, managers, and designers the guidance they need to understand the operations needs of buildings, and to design and operate systems in this environment. This guide focuses on the concrete steps needed to design a building for operational excellence.