KD Engineering is meeting the challenges of an ever-changing industry head on from its newly acquired headquarters in Burnaby, B.C. The company’s dedicated, long-time employees service all of BC, and have brought the company’s diverse expertise as far as the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Alberta, and Hawaii.
KD Engineering has steadily grown to provide a broad spectrum of services within the building construction industry including testing, balancing, and adjusting services (60%); building commissioning (30%); and operating and maintenance manual preparation (10%).
This diversification hasn’t been by accident—the willingness and drive to ride the wave of change in the construction industry is what has kept KD Engineering successful despite economic fluctuations, market changes, and the ever-changing technological landscape that has occurred in the industry since 1967.
Arno Tatto is general manager and partner in the company. He is a registered technologist with the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC, a member of ASHRAE, and a SMACNA-BC member.
Understanding how the industry is changing and meeting those changes head on has been KD Engineering’s ticket to success. The company was formed in response to the need for testing and balancing services in the late 60s.
“The same way the business responded to the growing need for testing and balancing services in the region, it has followed changes in the complexities of the industry and began doing commissioning services,” says Tatto.
The concept of total building commissioning is a-buzz in the industry, stemming from the LEED requirement to have all consumable resource systems on a building commissioned to ensure the systems comply with the lean tolerances allowed on a certified project.
No matter the level of LEED certification, systems that are adjusted for environmental comfort have to undergo a commissioning process by a designated authority that has documented a plan.
“It is only needed on systems that draw on water, hydro, and fossil fuels for creating a specific environment or creating a livable space,” says Tatto. “Water used in a water sewage plant or electricity used in a conveyor system would not be commissioned because they are necessary in the building’s operation.”
There is a clear difference between a LEED commissioning authority and a mechanical or electrical system commissioning agent. The LEED authority documents the processes specified by LEED guidelines, while total building commissioning agents are the field people who physically verify a building’s systems operation and installation and test the systems to make sure they operate as the design intends.
“We do both,” says Tatto. “It makes perfect sense that a testing and balancing company that had all the experience understanding system performance, measurement, adjustment of flow, and troubleshooting evolved into a commissioning agent.”
The service requires thorough understanding of the operations and the finer details of the engineers’ intentions like ensuring the set points are met, the sequences are set, among others. It is also about knowing the parts of a system that need the most attention. “One static part of building that should always be commissioned is the envelope,” says Tatto, “because no mechanical system can overcome a building envelope that doesn’t work properly.”
Tatto says remaining competitive comes down to a choice every company faces when the industry changes. LEED and green building have created some of the most challenging conditions in the industry thanks to hybrid technologies with lean tolerances and no margin for error.
“These aren’t cookie cutter buildings where it is so many feet ducting and your standard rooftop unit with a diffuser,” says Tatto. “There is a level of uniqueness to each project and every building is built to a different level, not just by appearance, but by the technology in the mechanical systems. They are unique and they have never been done before or tested.”
P3 projects bring the same challenging elements to the project, but often with a tighter construction schedule and a strong need to work with other trades and consultants as a closely-knit team.
The choice is whether to rise to the challenge or continue to struggle against an evolving industry.
“As a business you have the choice to let those opportunities go by because it is too challenging and risky and you don’t want to learn anything new, or say, ‘Okay, you know what? I am going to find my fit and continue complementing the construction process and assume the risk to get into that area.’ The reality is that the government is driving LEED and P3s.”
KD Engineering has a strong and stable staff with combined experience of over 300 years, and the company is committed to growing and establishing staff members’ diverse talents by exposing them to a wide variety of projects and technologies.
Tatto been with KD Engineering since graduating from BCIT in 1977.
“Of all the possible career choices coming out of BCIT, KD Engineering was the only one that could provide me with a balance of field work and office work, along with training opportunities to enhance my career,” says Tatto. “Over the years I have gone from a tech in the field to estimating, to drafting, to manuals, to project management, and now I am a partner.
It is a rare thing to be in the same job for that long,” he says. “People want more control over their work now and to change careers five to seven times in a lifetime.”
The future holds continued growth and evolution based on the needs and changes in the industry. “We want to continue to embrace the changes and challenges that present themselves,” says Tatto. “We have a reputation as the most trusted and recognized name in the industry because we don’t care if it is a one-day job or a 100-day job it is treated with the same professionalism, dedication, and positive attitude and the clients recognize that.”
This article was written by Jessica Kirby and originally appeared in the Fall 2011 issue of Sheet Metal Journal.
