Ongoing Commissioning—A Case Study of the Smith Building at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute

David Landman, CEM, EIT, Cimetrics Inc.
Rick Malmstrom, CEM, CPE, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI)

DFCI was founded in 1947 as the Children's Cancer Research Foundation and incorporated in 1951 as a nonprofit institution in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The purpose of the foundation, as stated in the Articles of Incorporation, was "to operate, conduct and support an institution of pediatric research in relation to the causes, prevention and treatment of cancer in children." In 1969, the Articles of Incorporation were amended to include activities for patients of all ages. In July 1974, the foundation was renamed the Sidney Farber Cancer Center in honor of its founder. In 1976, the name was changed to the Sidney Farber Cancer Institute, and in 1983 a change to the present name was made in recognition of the long-term support of the Charles A. Dana Foundation.

DFCI has been supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a cancer center since the early 1960s and was designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by NCI in 1973. In addition, since September 1989, it has been supported as a Center for AIDS Research by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In 1995, DFCI's research programs were reorganized from 17 divisions and seven independent laboratories into five departments. A sixth department, Radiation Oncology, was added in 2000.

In the fall of 1997, DFCI occupied the recently completed Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Research Laboratories. The Smith Building contains 300,900 gross square feet of space in 13 floors above ground and 154,650 gross square feet of space in six levels below ground for a parking garage and a chiller plant. The Smith Building is linked to the Dana Building and the Jimmy Fund Building by overhead pedestrian bridges. It provides two floors for use as mechanical space and eight floors as finished research laboratory space. The remainder of the tower includes space designated for population science research and administrative and support functions.

This presentation is a case study of ongoing commissioning of the Smith Research Laboratories building. The project involves remote monitoring-based commissioning of Smith's building automation system. Periodic reports are generated, which enable the owner to optimize efficiency and comfort, improve maintenance procedures, lower costs, and effectively manage facility staff and contractors.

Results include the identification of over $400,000 worth of mostly low- or no- cost measures and almost $200,000 of savings realized to date.

Biographies:

David Landman serves as chief of energy engineering at Cimetrics Inc. Mr. Landman is primarily responsible for quality control and analysis of Cimetrics' hotel, healthcare, and university customers throughout the United States. Mr. Landman has 20 years of experience in the energy field and has a Masters of Science in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University.

Rick Malmstrom is the energy manager at DFCI. Mr. Malmstrom is responsible for the tracking, analysis, and fiscal aspects of all of DFCI's energy requirements. Mr. Malmstrom is also responsible for DFCI's energy and carbon footprint reduction programs. Mr. Malmstrom has more than 20 years of experience in various aspects of healthcare facilities management and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University.