Introducing Yale’s commissioning services program and its director, Elliot Alvarez

 

Yale Facilities has been entrusted to plan, design, build, and operate and maintain buildings and grounds that support the university’s academic and research priorities. Continuing to enhance the planning and delivery of integrated program-wide building commissioning services (Cx) is a critical component of our mission. This ensures that building systems and envelopes perform as designed.

 

To that end, we are excited to welcome Elliot Alvarez as Yale’s new director of Commissioning Services. In this key role, which reports to Julie Paquette, director of Engineering and Energy Management, Elliot is responsible for developing and leading Yale’s program-wide commissioning program, providing technical direction, management, and thought leadership in support of commissioning activities across the capital and operational portfolio.

 

As we work to strengthen and develop our Cx program, Elliot will coordinate closely with the commissioning function in the Capital Program Support and Technical Services organization, directed by Michael Douyard. The ultimate goal is to create a Commissioning Center of Excellence at Yale that better aligns our capital project delivery and operational requirements and that benefits the industry beyond the university. Further details on how and when the Commissioning Center of Excellence will be established are forthcoming.

 

Elliot is a registered mechanical engineer with deep expertise in new and existing building commissioning for the higher education sector. He has developed and delivered a wide range of high-performance built environment consulting work, including energy projects, data-driven energy audits, building automation system design, portfolio energy analysis, and corporate sustainability programs.

 

Before joining Yale, Elliot was an associate principal at Altura Associates, Inc., where he was responsible for developing advanced commissioning services, programs, teams, and training, scaling from individual buildings to large real estate portfolios. This includes supporting the advancement of Kaiser Permanente’s $48 billion, ten-year capital program nation-wide. Elliot also led Altura’s support of Yale’s new commissioning program, including spearheading the commissioning integration role for our Big Six projects, and delivering training for our prequalified commissioning firms.

 

Before Altura, Elliot was a senior associate at The Cadmus Group and consulting engineer with CTE Energetics, Inc., and TDE. He received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and environmental studies from the University of Michigan. He moved from California to Connecticut with his wife and two children.

 

We are thrilled that he is bringing this expertise to our team. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Elliot and wishing him success in this new role.

 

 

J. Mike Bellamy, PE, MBA

Vice President for Facilities, Campus Development, and Sustainability

 

Anthony Kosior, PE, CEM

Associate Vice President for Facilities and Campus Stewardship

 

Michael Schrier, AIA, MBA 

Associate Vice President for Capital Program Development and Delivery 

Yale University

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