In the May 2004 issue of Engineered Systems, David Governo discussed some very interesting points relative to design team and construction team liabilities after the owner has taken occupancy of the building. He also noted the facility group may share liability once the building becomes occupied, which is something I had not given a lot of thought to once the job is completed.
Having read the article a couple of times, it got me thinking about how lenient we can be when it comes to project closeout, and how this can impact the long-term success of building system performance. Issues such as providing adequate equipment and system operation training backed up by adequate training documentation are tasks that shouldn't be taken lightly. It is even more important when the project turn over is for a LEED™ certified installation.