Building research facilities that won't fail: A commissioning blueprint for 20-year performance

Rising construction costs and accelerating research demands are forcing facility planners to make every dollar count—the first time. This session reveals how commissioning expertise transforms costly system failures into preventable design decisions. Presenters illustrate how to embed operational intelligence into Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) to create research environments engineered for decades of reliable performance, not just day-one compliance. They profile proven strategies for flexible utilities, failure-resistant infrastructure, and operational teams trained to sustain your investment. They deliver a planning framework that answers what today's stakeholders demand: reduced lifecycle costs, minimized downtime, adaptive capacity for evolving science, and facilities that protect an institution's competitive edge through built-in resilience and long-term operational stewardship.