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ASHRAE and CIBSE Mark 40th Anniversary with New Agreement

The organizations will implement a number of new initiatives

LONDON — ASHRAE and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) have signed a partnership agreement to mark the 40th anniversary of their relationship.

Meeting in London to celebrate 40 years since the Institute of Heating and Ventilation Engineers and Illuminating Engineering Society merged to form CIBSE, and the start of the collaboration with ASHRAE, the two organizations signed an agreement to implement a range of new initiatives. These include: collaborating strategically on projects in each other’s regions, creating a long-term staff exchange program, encouraging collaboration between regions, groups, and chapters, and mutually promoting the publication of new codes and standards.

While the two organizations have been working closely together for four decades, this agreement represents the first time that they have committed to a joint approach in promoting the mutual global interests of CIBSE and ASHRAE, and agreed to a number of activities and goals to promote a more sustainable world.

Alongside a wider commitment to improve knowledge sharing between the two organizations, including jointly presenting work to industry, members, and legislators, the agreement also formalized a commitment to working at a grass-roots level. This includes encouraging cooperation between ASHRAE chapters and CIBSE regions, coordinating the programs of similar groups such as Women in Building Services Engineering (WiBSE) and Women in ASHRAE (WiA), as well as aligning activity for the young engineers of both organizations and working together on emerging topics such as Legionella, resiliency, and cybersecurity.

John Field, president of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, said, “It is a tremendous honor to be able to sign this agreement and start a new era of even closer cooperation between our institutions. This is an unprecedented opportunity to spread the benefits of our work together through every level of our organizations. Building services engineers are doing some of the most important work on the planet, and our two organizations have done invaluable work over the last 40 years to raise standards across our industries and across the world. With this agreement in place, I look forward to continuing this work for many more decades to come.”

“Collaboration and sharing of knowledge are key to advancing the built environment industry,” said Tim Wentz, ASHRAE president. “ASHRAE’s partnership with CIBSE over the last 40 years has proven to be an invaluable collaboration for our respective members and the industry at large. Our joint work through conferences, publications, and education has greatly added to the worldwide best practices databank of innovative and successful technologies. I am pleased to celebrate this milestone and look forward to many more.”

To help commemorate the 40th anniversary of collaboration and the signing of the new agreement, CIBSE and ASHRAE also hosted a seminar titled “Defining, delivering and assuring building environments that are truly fit for use,” held at Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, University College London. The seminar considered how the skills and expertise available to designers should be applied to ensure that built environments are not only environmentally-appropriate but also reflect the needs and well-being of occupants.

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