February 25, 2008

I had the pleasure to spend some time with our ASHRAE student members and young ASHRAE members in Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago.  This is a very professional group of current and future engineers.  The young ASHRAE members mentor the five student branches in Hong Kong and provide a valuable connection for the students as they begin to consider potential career paths.

The students in Hong Kong have numerous opportunities with the booming construction in many parts of Asia.  I indicated that it is important for everyone to set goals in both their career and life.  Always be concerned about what programs future employers offer that will continue to develop their careers – do not be satisfied with only on-the-job training. I believe that any job we choose in life must have a great sense of personal satisfaction that goes far beyond the salary we earn.  I also recommended that as young engineers it is very important to ask “why?” to both gain a better understanding of current concepts and question the status quo – we are relying on today’s engineering students to engineer a better world in the future

October 25, 2007

To me, the greatest value of ASHRAE membership is the synergistic energy of members and non-members working together, sharing ideas, and advancing the standards of practice in the built environment. This month is a great example of how that synergy. I met with ASHRAE and CIBSE members in Dublin, Preston, Loughborough and London, talking about sustainability practices here in the United States and Europe, comparing notes on what we could learn from each other. This same sharing of ideas is taking places as other ASHRAE officers represent the Society at meetings with AMCA, SMACNA, IFMA, and at IAQVEC in Japan.

The U.K. is taking bold steps in reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions in buildings. They now require all new buildings to be designed with 10% renewable energy. The European Parliament Directive 2002/91/EC requires building energy certificates for domestic and non-domestic public buildings. I would encourage you to read more on this subject to gain an understanding of how EU states are reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions from their built environment.As Thomas Friedman wrote in the World is Flat, “there is no bigger flattener than the idea of making all the world’s knowledge, or even just a big chunk of it, available to anyone and everyone, anytime, anywhere.” It’s a thrill to see our industry take advantage of the flattening of the world, combining their respective expertise and working together to improve the built environment.

I visited the Emirates Falcon ASHRAE Chapter in Dubai for their first chapter meeting of this year. This is our second largest chapter outside North America. The chapter has grown very quickly

The level of construction in Dubai is unbelievable but not without challenges. After listening to local ASHRAE members, I realize that Dubai is struggling to maintain adequate electrical generation and distribution to supply all the new construction projects. This will provide a unique opportunity for our members in this region to demonstrate how they can design and construct more energy efficient buildings to reduce electrical demand and consumption.

This new ASHRAE blog provides an opportunity for me to share what is happening in the ASHRAE community and share my thoughts and experiences as I travel to various events as ASHRAE president. It also provides you an opportunity to comment on HVACR industry global trends and possibilities as we transition towards a sustainable built environment.

I had the honor to attend the International Institute of Refrigeration 22^nd International Congress of Refrigeration in late August. The Congress is held every four years and this Congress was hosted by the Chinese Association of Refrigeration and held in Beijing, China. This is the first time the Congress has been held in Asia.

I was impressed with both the organization of the event and the amount of technical exchange that transpired during the 5-day event. Attendees included representatives from 55 different countries, including numerous ASHRAE members from around the world.

I was able to take away several trends regarding refrigeration and HVACR systems in buildings from the technical sessions

• Using CO₂ as a refrigerant appears to be gaining popularity in Europe
• As an industry, we will need to respond globally to climate change concerns
• The Montreal Protocol is working
• There is a flurry of construction activities occurring in Beijing as they prepare for next year’s Summer Olympics, including Olympic venues, hotels, and subways.
• After listening to numerous presentations from Chinese researchers, it appears China is facing many of the same issues as the rest of the world as they strive to build more efficient buildings with good indoor environmental quality. China is striving to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution.