ASHRAE Column
2019-20 ASHRAE president Darryl K. Boyce, provided Society
updates and initiatives related to his presidential theme,
‘Building for People and Performance. Achieving Operational
Excellence’. He focused on how building professionals can
ensure operational performance for the people that live, work,
and interact in buildings.
During the conference, ASHRAE recognised major donors
of its building campaign to support its Global Headquarters
Renovation Project.
“With the opportunity to create a new ASHRAE Global
Headquarters building, we are living the real-world challenge
of designing and building a great environment for our staff,
volunteers and industry visitors from around the world, that will
operate effectively and not waste energy,” said Boyce.
The plenary session drew more than 1 000 people and
provided a forum for the presentation of awards to experienced
and emerging leaders in the industry. Keynote speaker Ed
Hochuli, retired Head referee in the National Football League,
closed the session with an empowering presentation on being
successful at any job.
ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) offered four full-day
seminars and 17 half-day courses.
New courses included:
• Guideline 36: Best in Class HVAC Control Sequences;
• Save 40% by Complying with Standard 90.1-2019;
• Best Practices for Installing DDC Systems;
• IgCC and ASHRAE Standard 189.1 Technical Provisions;
• Principles of Building Commissioning: ASHRAE Guideline 0
and Standard 202;
• Designing for Cold Climates and V in HVAC – What, Why,
Where, How, and How Much; and
• The new Certified HVAC Designer (CHD) certification exam
was also administered during the conference.
The Winter Conference technical
programme featured more than
300 presentations.
www.hvacronline.co.za
The 2020 ASHRAE Annual Conference will take place from
27 June – 1 July in Austin, Texas. The 2021 Winter Conference
will take place from 23 – 27 January, together with the AHR
Expo running from 25 – 27 January, in Chicago.
CELEBRATING 125 YEARS IN INDUSTRY
To celebrate its time serving the HVAC&R industry, ASHRAE
released its Strategic Plan for the next five years.
This plan, developed by the ASHRAE Planning Committee in
collaboration with the Board of Directors (BOD), will guide the
work of the Society during the five-year period from 2019-2024.
It was developed during 2018-2019 through a process initiated
by a stakeholder engagement exercise involving members of
ASHRAE and key industry organisations who gave their views
on ASHRAE’s position in the industry and its perceived strengths
and challenges. With facilitation by the Planning Committee,
the BOD then conducted a brainstorming session to develop
preliminary objectives and initiatives. These included both
outward-facing issues affecting the industry and society as
well as inward-facing issues related to the needs of ASHRAE
members and organisational efficiency.
The final phase of development was preparation of
implementation plans, tracking procedures, promotional roll-out
and budget estimates. The final plan was drafted by the Planning
Committee with board oversight following multiple reviews,
including review by Regional leadership teams. Communication
of the new plan to councils and committees began in Spring 2019
with formal implementation beginning in July 2019.
Strategic Plan Outcomes include:
• Higher levels of member engagement, satisfaction and
loyalty,
• Increased operational efficiency and market responsiveness,
• Demonstrated leadership in meeting societal needs through
expanded research, application to practice and strategic
partnerships,
• Increased awareness of ASHRAE and use of its technical
resources among priority stakeholders,
• Increased global adaptation of ASHRAE Standards,
• Increased breadth in ASHRAE’s product offerings. RACA
RACA Journal I April 2020
71