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USGBC LEED Green Associate: When to Bring the Commissioning Authority (CxA) Onto LEED Project Team

By: Author Nina Norman

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Categories Exam

Discover the optimal time to involve the Commissioning Authority in your LEED project for seamless integration and enhanced building performance. Learn best practices from USGBC LEED experts.

Table of Contents

Question

When should the Commissioning Authority (CxA) be brought onto the project team?

A. At the end of Design Development (DD)
B. Early in the Schematic Design (SD) phase
C. Once Construction Administration (CA) begins
D. Early in the Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE)

Answer

B. Early in the Schematic Design (SD) phase

Explanation

According to LEED v4, the commissioning authority (CxA) should be contracted before the end of the Design Development (DD) phase and should be involved in the project team from early in the Schematic Design (SD) phase.

Involving the CxA early in the design process, particularly during the Schematic Design phase, offers several key benefits:

  1. Early collaboration: By engaging the CxA during SD, the project team can benefit from their expertise in identifying potential issues and opportunities for optimizing building systems and performance.
  2. Improved design: The CxA can provide valuable input on the design of HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems, ensuring they are designed for optimal performance, energy efficiency, and maintainability.
  3. Enhanced documentation: Early involvement allows the CxA to review and contribute to the development of the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) and Basis of Design (BOD) documents, ensuring they align with the project’s sustainability goals.
  4. Reduced costs and delays: Identifying and addressing potential issues early in the design process can help avoid costly changes and delays later in the project.

Bringing the CxA on board at the end of Design Development (A), once Construction Administration begins (C), or during Post-Occupancy Evaluation (D) would be too late to fully capitalize on their expertise and could result in missed opportunities for optimizing building performance and achieving LEED certification goals.

USGBC LEED Green Associate certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the USGBC LEED Green Associate exam and earn USGBC LEED Green Associate certification.