The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE, /ˈæʃreɪ/) is an international technical society for all individuals and organizations interested in heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R). The Society, organized into Regions, Chapters, and Student Branches, allows exchange of HVAC&R knowledge and experiences for the benefit of the field's practitioners and the public. ASHRAE provides many opportunities to participate in the development of new knowledge via, for example, research and its many Technical Committees. These committees meet typically twice per year at the ASHRAE Annual and Winter Conferences. A popular product show, the AHR Expo, is held in conjunction with each Winter Meeting. The Society has approximately 50,000 members and has headquarters at Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
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The ASHRAE Handbook is a four-volume resource for HVAC&R technology and is available in both print and electronic versions. The volumes are Fundamentals, HVAC Applications, HVAC Systems and Equipment, and Refrigeration. One of the four volumes is updated each year.
ASHRAE also publishes a well recognized series of standards and guidelines relating to HVAC systems and issues. These standards are often referenced in building codes, and are considered useful standards for use by consulting engineers, mechanical contractors, architects, and government agencies.[1][2] These are legally unenforceable, but commonly accepted standards for architects and engineers.[3]
Examples of some ASHRAE Standards are:
These, and many other ASHRAE Standards, are periodically reviewed, revised and published, so the year of publication of a particular standard is important for code compliance.
The ASHRAE Journal is a monthly magazine published by ASHRAE. It includes peer-reviewed articles on the practical application of HVAC&R technology, information on upcoming meetings and product shows, classified and display advertising, and editorials. Members of ASHRAE receive the magazine and the current year's volume of the ASHRAE Handbook as membership benefits. ASHRAE also publishes many books, ASHRAE Transactions, and the International Journal of HVAC&R Research.
ASHRAE was founded in 1894 at a meeting of engineers in New York City, formerly headquartered at 345 East 47th Street, and have held an annual meeting since 1895.[5] Until 1954 it was known as the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (ASHVE); in that year it changed its name to the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE).[6] Its current name and organization came from the 1959 merger of ASHAE and the American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE). The result, ASHRAE, despite having 'American' in its name, is an influential international organization.[7] Amongst other international activities, it helps organize international events.[8][9]
In 2006, ASHRAE adopted sustainability[10] as the central theme for the organization’s Strategic Plan and committed to making the renovation of the Society’s 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) headquarters building a demonstration of these values. Two years later, they hired Richard Wittschiebe Hand and General Contractor Gay Construction to design and build the project. Today, they have their very own LEED Platinum-rated building [11], which has an extensive building monitoring system and other design features and functions which are intended to demonstrate energy conservation and cost savings through sustainable building practices.
ASHRAE's goals could only be achieved through collaboration, innovative use of technology, and aggressive partnerships with product and equipment manufacturers, many of which are based in Georgia. As the leader in codes and standards for the building industries’ engineers, the renovation and addition to ASHRAE’s existing building incorporated the membership's expertise from around the country to collaborate with the local design firm, their consultants, and the general contractor. Throughout the design and construction process the team evaluated numerous building components, including mechanical equipment, electronic systems, as well as over $1 million of donated equipment.
The renovation of the existing headquarters building included the reconfiguration of existing space and an additional wing. The existing windows, which had been replaced and upgraded in the late 1990s, remained. The new entrance was designed and relocated to the rear of the building to provide a quieter entrance. Project requirements for the facility included a new training center, meeting and education spaces for their members, a technical library, offices, collaborative workspaces for personnel, and a shipping and receiving area. The facility incorporates open and flexible planning to take advantage of natural light and efficient planning methods that increased the total number of future staff above previous levels by 25% within a reduced office footprint. Enclosed offices for 95% of staff were eliminated and replaced with furniture-based work station layouts which conserved space, provided exterior views for all employees, and fostered collaboration. A new training center was added to respond to the organization’s growing outreach and continuing education needs.