ATLANTA, Georgia, USA, 2 July 2019: ASHRAE on July 1 released a new strategic plan to guide the society’s work over the next five years, it said through a Press communiqué. The ASHRAE 2019-2024 Strategic Plan describes the society’s core values, mission and vision for future success, while also identifying areas where ASHRAE will direct its attention and resources over the next several years, the communiqué said.

According to the communiqué, the previous plan, released in 2014, resulted in several significant accomplishments, including the extension of ASHRAE’s global presence, a greater role in the residential sector and higher levels of volunteer involvement. The new plan’s initiatives, the communiqué said, reflect the society’s longstanding commitment to the HVAC&R industry, while leveraging the opportunities and addressing the challenges that are taking place in the fast-evolving built-environment.

The new strategic plan outlines two initiative areas:

• Built-environment of the future
  • Resilient buildings and communities
  • Indoor environmental quality (IEQ)

• Future of ASHRAE
  • Organisational streamlining
  • Improve Chapter engagement, capacity and support

“In developing our new strategic plan, we closely considered the changing landscape of our industry as well as the diversity of our membership,” said Darryl K Boyce, 2019-20 ASHRAE President. “We sought wide-ranging involvement from ASHRAE members and key industry organizations on how to best position ASHRAE to meet our internal and external challenges, and the result is a concise, straight-forward plan based on the values that have motivated the members of our society for close to 125 years.”

Some key action items outlined in the plan include:

• Promote best practices that enable adaptability, resilience and recovery of buildings and communities related to the challenges of the design and construction process.
• Accelerate thought-leadership and understanding of IEQ and its implications for occupants’ health and wellness.
• Streamline the organisation’s internal governance to adapt to regional differences and allocate valued time and resources to the most impactful pursuits.
• Evaluate and improve methods to better engage chapters, regions and the members they serve in an integrated way.