Commissioning From The Co-Op Perspective

Ellie LaRocca-Pitts / Jun 21, 2019

My name is Ellie LaRocca-Pitts. I am a rising junior at Kennesaw State University studying mechanical engineering. This is my third week as a Co-Op Mechanical Commissioning Authority at WorkingBuildings. Thus far, I have learned about the commissioning process, refrigeration cycles, and even got to visit a job site to see the machines in person.

Before discovering Working Buildings, the only engineering knowledge I had was in the world of robotics. I got interested in engineering my freshman year of high school. I joined my school’s robotics team, and worked my way up to team captain by senior year. To say the least, I liked it, going from designing to prototyping to manufacturing to integration. That is what I loved about robotics, getting to see the robot advance from an idea to a fully integrated machine.

After learning more about the commissioning process these past three weeks, I am discovering similarities between the work engineers do here, and the work that goes into building a robot. Commissioning agents review initial design documents all the way to 100% construction documents. They give professional opinions about the documents, and double check that everything is designed to meet the owner’s needs. Then, they oversee the construction process, reviewing all the equipment, making sure they are installed correctly, and are functioning properly. By the end, they deliver a building that works.

Commissioning agents get to see the process from beginning to end - from design to implementation to completion. That is what I like about being a Co-Op at WorkingBuildings. I am expanding my knowledge, and applying what I have learned in a real-world setting. I am not only learning how to become a commissioning agent, but also a professional engineer.