Applying the House of Quality to the New-Building Construction Commissioning Process

Abstract

Commissioning (Cx) is a quality process for building construction used to verify that the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) are being met by the final design and construction (D&C). The goal is to confirm that each phase of the project is linked back to the OPR through quality assurance methods. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is an OPR and can contribute to difficulties within the D&C process. The LEED rating system offers numerous point opportunities that span the full range of design disciplines. It is difficult to quickly understand how a design decision made by one discipline impacts another discipline’s goal(s) for maximizing LEED points in their respective areas. The House of Quality (HOQ) tool of the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methodology can provide a means of comparison among the OPR, the proposed design, and the design impacts among the LEED credits. This paper will introduce a proposed four-phase QFD model that has been specifically modified and tailored for use by the Commissioning Authority through all phases of D&C process. It will then focus on the methodology for developing the first phase of the model, which is expanded for projects seeking LEED certification. The remaining three phases of the Commissioning QFD are discussed elsewhere. The first phase or pre-design phase will consist of two HOQ matrices for LEED projects. The first HOQ will be used to assist in identifying the LEED credits to be included in the OPR and to understand the design impacts among the LEED credits selected. The second HOQ will evaluate the alignment of the architect/engineer team’s Basis of Design (BoD) with the OPR, as well as identify the impacts among the OPR and the impacts among the BoD.

Keywords: House of Quality, HOQ, Quality Function Deployment, QFD, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED, Commissioning, Construction

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100271