ATLANTA – ASHRAE and the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) have agreed in principle to join forces, combining resources to improve indoor air quality in the built environment.
Pending a three to six month period of due diligence, IAQA will become a part of the ASHRAE organization while maintaining its own brand and Board of Directors. IAQA will operate independently within ASHRAE’s organizational structure. Plans call for IAQA headquarters to relocate from Rockville, Md., to Atlanta, Ga., home of ASHRAE’s international headquarters. The agreement was reached between the leadership of both associations and confirmed at ASHRAE’s 2014 Annual Conference that concluded earlier this month in Seattle, Wash.
“This merger is beneficial to both ASHRAE and IAQA in that it strengthens the programs and services of both organizations,” Tom Phoenix, ASHRAE president, said. “The work of IAQA complements the work of ASHRAE in its standards, research, publications and educational offerings. We now combine our resources to ensure the industry receives the best indoor air quality technical guidance and educational programs possible, which means improved indoor air quality for the world around us.”
Among ASHRAE’s major indoor air quality offerings are Standard 62.1, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, and Standard 62.2, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, and publications such as the Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning. ASHRAE also recently announced the formation of the Indoor Environmental Quality Global Alliance, which included IAQA as a charter member. ASHRAE also has a strong research program related to indoor air quality with 10 current projects totaling $2.8 million, representing 23 percent of ASHRAE’s research budget.
“This merger allows IAQA to maintain its own brand while also providing its members with enhanced benefits and services,” Kent Rawhouser, president of IAQA, said. “Our strong history of programs and products is expected to not only continue, but to grow as the merger allows us to take advantage of the resources and programs overseen by ASHRAE. Members of IAQA and ASHRAE will work collaboratively to strengthen indoor air quality programs for the industry, and most importantly, for the people who occupy homes and buildings around the world.”
IAQA provides continuing education, conferences and expositions, certification programs, monthly webinars, technical publications and funds indoor air quality related research. IAQA subsidiary, Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO), is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited standards developing organization focused on indoor air quality assessment, remediation and management of indoor environments.
ASHRAE and IAQA programs will be aligned to create high-impact resources for building professionals around the globe.
“Indoor air quality is vitally important to the health and welfare of people worldwide,” Phoenix said. “Air quality systems must work harmoniously with other systems in homes and buildings to ensure a healthy and sustainable built environment.”
The Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing practitioners together to prevent and solve indoor environmental problems for the benefit of customers and the public. IAQA was established in 1995 and is the nation’s largest indoor air quality trade association with over 2,600 members and more than 20 local chapters across the United States and Canada. More information is available atwww.iaqa.org/news and at www.ieso.org.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment. The Society and its more than 50,000 members worldwide focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability. Through research, standards writing, publishing, certification and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today. More information can be found at www.ashrae.org/news.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Florida mixed-use complex includes retail, residential
The $325 million Atlantic Plaza II lifestyle center will be built on 8.5 acres in Delray Beach, Fla. Designed by Vander Ploeg & Associates, Boca Raton, the complex will include six buildings ranging from three to five stories and have 182,000 sf of restaurant and retail space. An additional 106,000 sf of Class A office space and a residential component including 197 apartments, townhouses, ...
| Aug 11, 2010
Restoration gives new life to New Formalism icon
The $30 million upgrade, restoration, and expansion of the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles was completed by the team of Rios Clementi Hale Studios (architect), Harley Ellis Devereaux (executive architect/MEP), KPFF (structural engineer), and Taisei Construction (GC). Work on the Welton Becket-designed 1967 complex included an overhaul of the auditorium, lighting, and acoustics.
| Aug 11, 2010
Best AEC Firms to Work For
2006 FreemanWhite Hnedak Bobo Group McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Shawmut Design and Construction Walter P Moore 2007 Anshen+Allen Arup Bovis Lend Lease Cannon Design Jones Lang LaSalle Perkins+Will SmithGroup SSOE, Inc. Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc. 2008 Gilbane Building Co. HDR KJWW Engineering Consultants Lord, Aeck & Sargent Mark G.
| Aug 11, 2010
High-Performance Workplaces
Building Teams around the world are finding that the workplace is changing radically, leading owners and tenants to reinvent corporate office buildings to compete more effectively on a global scale. The good news is that this means more renovation and reconstruction work at a time when new construction has stalled to a dribble.
| Aug 11, 2010
Great Solutions: Business Management
22. Commercial Properties Repositioned for University USE Tocci Building Companies is finding success in repositioning commercial properties for university use, and it expects the trend to continue. The firm's Capital Cove project in Providence, R.I., for instance, was originally designed by Elkus Manfredi (with design continued by HDS Architects) to be a mixed-use complex with private, market-...
| Aug 11, 2010
Nurturing the Community
The best seat in the house at the new Seahawks Stadium in Seattle isn't on the 50-yard line. It's in the southeast corner, at the very top of the upper bowl. "From there you have a corner-to-corner view of the field and an inspiring grasp of the surrounding city," says Kelly Kerns, project leader with architect/engineer Ellerbe Becket, Kansas City, Mo.
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA Course: Historic Masonry — Restoration and Renovation
Historic restoration and preservation efforts are accelerating throughout the U.S., thanks in part to available tax credits, awards programs, and green building trends. While these projects entail many different building components and systems, façade restoration—as the public face of these older structures—is a key focus. Earn 1.0 AIA learning unit by taking this free course from Building Design+Construction.
| Aug 11, 2010
BIM adoption tops 80% among the nation's largest AEC firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 survey
The nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction companies are on the BIM bandwagon in a big way, according to Building Design+Construction's premier Top 50 BIM Adopters ranking, published as part of the 2009 Giants 300 survey. Of the 320 AEC firms that participated in Giants survey, 83% report having at least one BIM seat license in house, half have more than 30 seats, and near...
| Aug 11, 2010
World's tallest all-wood residential structure opens in London
At nine stories, the Stadthaus apartment complex in East London is the world’s tallest residential structure constructed entirely in timber and one of the tallest all-wood buildings on the planet. The tower’s structural system consists of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels pieced together to form load-bearing walls and floors. Even the elevator and stair shafts are constructed of prefabricated CLT.
| Aug 11, 2010
Integrated Project Delivery builds a brave, new BIM world
Three-dimensional information, such as that provided by building information modeling, allows all members of the Building Team to visualize the many components of a project and how they work together. BIM and other 3D tools convey the idea and intent of the designer to the entire Building Team and lay the groundwork for integrated project delivery.
