The ControlTrends Community would like to recognize the significance and importance of ASHRAE and all of its members and give ASHRAE’s long and prolific history some well warranted attention.
We’re not proposing to petition Washington, DC, for a “HUG YOUR ENGINEER DAY” or anything, but it would be a good idea to reflect for a moment, to realize and put into perspective, just how important ASHRAE has been, and continues to be, in our cultural and economic development as a country and society, and how we in the HVAC Industry, in particular, benefit directly and indirectly from the collective efforts, longstanding professional bearing, and applied ASHRAE wisdom everyday. This blog is the first of ControlTrends’ ASHRAE series.
The First Meeting: (Source: Chapter 1, A Long, Strong Pull Together)
ASHRAE was formed as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers by the merger in 1959 of American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE) founded in 1894 and The American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE) founded in 1904.
An Excerpt from Issues of the Day:
The work of the Society began during the First Annual Meeting. President Bates called the members to action in his address by clearly defining the Society’s priorities:
“I believe we should not cease our labors when public buildings are thoroughly warmed and ventilated, but our zeal for a good cause should eventually take us into every building which shall be constructed for any purpose…There are cases where factories and work shops are fairly well ventilated, but in comparison they are rare… Every family has the right to have an abundance of good fresh air, even if it is not aware of its rights.” The members responded to his inspiring words and to the lively discussions during the meeting by appointing various committees:
• The Committee on Tests “for the purpose of making such tests as may be for the interest of the society”
• Committee on Standards “to establish a clearly defined minimum standard of heating and ventilation for all classes of buildings”
• Committee on Compulsory Legislation “to favor legislation compelling ventilation of all public buildings in accordance with the standards of this society”
• Committee on Uniform Contract and General Conditions of Governing Specifications “to establish a uniform scale of prices for all professional services”
• Nominating Committee for the purpose of identifying and nominating candidates for officers, Board of Managers and Council.
Each year, beginning in 1895, the Society documented its work by publishing the proceedings, papers and discussions from the annual and semi-annual meetings in Transactions of The American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers.
President Bates said of this new society and the work to be done, “We need to look backward but a very few years to find that our profession was unknown. The rapid strides of modern civilization have created many new professions, and ours among them.
There is a wide field open before us, and it yet remains to be seen how well we shall occupy it. The child is born, and it gives great promise of a grand future.”
Membership in ASHRAE is open to any person associated with building systems, particularly HVAC&R; energy efficiency; indoor air quality; and sustainability within the building industry. Membership in ASHRAE allows access to state-of-the-art built environment technology and provides many opportunities to participate in the development of said technology
https://www.ashrae.org/about-ashrae/ashrae-and-industry-history
