Third Party Building Commissioning Services for Green Buildings

As worldwide demand for sustainable buildings grows, building owners, operators, investors and facility managers face the need to balance green building investments against potential cost savings and government incentives. Real estate assets that do not meet new sustainability standards may be at a significant disadvantage in the marketplace. TÜV SÜD offers first-class third-party building commissioning services to ensure that your business not only profits but thrives as a sustainable entity.  

What are third-party building commissioning services?

Internationally recognised certifications for building sustainability are purely voluntary. However, being certified to international green building standards is crucial for the long-term success of real estate and businesses. Each certification system provides criteria that give a holistic view of the quality of real estate.

A sustainability system can contribute towards healthier environments and ecosystems for living and working, simultaneously driving down operating costs while increasing the lifetime value of a building and its assets.

Currently, there are several different sustainability certification schemes worldwide that address building design, construction and operation. These include:

• BREEAM (UK)
• LEED (US)

These certifications provide information on a building’s environmental footprint and future sustainability. Deciding which certification system is the most suitable for your property or business requires comprehensive knowledge and expertise in national and international green building standards.

How can TÜV SÜD help your buildings become certified as green?

Designing sustainable buildings calls for a thorough understanding of local cultures and environments, quality standards, environmental regulations, safety standards, building codes, and carbon tax regulations.

TÜV SÜD has a global network of experts who facilitate the entire green building certification process. We will help define your sustainability objectives and assess the feasibility of certification for your building, new or old.

Our experts work alongside your team to explore alternative means of meeting the objectives of the building owners, budget constraints and certification requirements.

How can our third-party commissioning services benefit your company?

• Work with a green building expert - in safety and quality requirements of products and equipment.
• Objective evaluation - of all relevant structural and technical installations from an impartial and trusted expert in the industry.
• Safeguard your investments - with a green building certification that serves as proof of quality to significantly improve the marketability of your property.
• Save money - by quickly pinpointing ways to reduce your energy costs and improve operational efficiency.
• Minimise risk - by complying with national and international statutory requirements, which puts your company on sound footing both economically and ecologically. Engaging TÜV SÜD’s experts at the beginning of a construction project can also avoid consequential costs later on due to incorrect modernisation work.
• Gain a competitive edge - with a world-recognised green building certificate that improves your company’s image and the status of your property, putting you in a better position for negotiations.
• Add value to your occupants quality of life - by demonstrating your commitment to sustainability. This will motivate building occupants to do the same, leading to a better indoor experience and quality of life for everyone.

What third-party green building commission services does TÜV SÜD offer?

TÜV SÜD provides third-party commissioning services for green buildings which include design reviews, building and systems verification as well as measurement and verification services. Through our suite of building commissioning services, clients can ensure that the products and services which they are supplied with are in line with their green building strategy.

We can play a key facilitation role between your organisation and relevant green building councils or certification bodies to help you navigate requirements, attain certification and ensure that your commitment to sustainability is well documented.

Our green building commission services include:

• Preliminary assessment and advisory
  Our experts will help you define your sustainability objectives, determine which properties in your portfolio are suitable for certification, find the sustainability rating system that best suits your needs and advise you on the criteria that must be fulfilled to obtain certification.
  
  We provide expert analysis reports based on a pre-assessment inspection of the building structure, systems and energy consumption to identify potential areas for optimisation.
• Green building design review
  Once a suitable certification system is identified, our experts can review the designs of your mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems according to certification requirements as well as choice of construction materials and building equipment.
  
  This includes verifying equipment and systems used in a building such as chillers, lighting design, pumps and motors, are designed, installed and calibrated to operate according to green buildings requirements.
  
  Once inspected, the analysis is used to formulate an action plan towards compliance. We can also conduct 3D energy modelling and photorealistic lighting simulations of the building to predict how its various systems consume energy and maximise the use of natural lighting.
• On-site inspection
  TÜV SÜD’s experts offer quality assurance by conducting periodic inspections of the site to ensure that the building construction is being carried out according to the design plan.
• Commissioning services
  TÜV SÜD’s commissioning services help to ensure that the building design and construction are calibrated according to the building owner’s intentions. This also determines readiness for the formal certification process. In addition, we conduct post-occupancy surveys to track the effectiveness of sustainability measures.
• Training
  Our sustainability experts can train building management teams in building systems maintenance and help to ensure that architects, owners and builders use eco-friendly designs, effectively.

Why choose our green building commissioning services?

When it comes to sustainability in real estate, we have decades of experience working on significant global projects including the Olympic Park and Athletes’ Village for the London 2012 Olympics. Our reputation for total independence means that you can rely on us to give you a completely objective evaluation of your prospects for sustainability certifications.

TÜV SÜD’s interdisciplinary team of experts from various engineering backgrounds can offer in-depth and well-rounded analyses of your project and its assets that go beyond green building certifications.

With the strong reputation of the TÜV SÜD brand and our proven track record of engineering excellence, your sustainability assessment certificate will be recognised anywhere in the world.