A successor is being sought as he has decided to step down

“It is astonishing how things go in cycles and our industry is no different. Forty years ago, researchers were starting to get to grips with issues of indoor air pollution, then linked to smoking, Radon gas and ‘sick building syndrome’. A huge body of evidence began to be amassed, and the techniques such as air leakage testing using pressurisation and tracer gas methods, were born. These are now taken for granted, developed, refined, and now turned into BS, CEN and ISO standards that apply across the world,” These are the reflections of Andrew Eastwell, as he prepares to stand down as CEO of BSRIA in April 2014, and has accordingly advised his Board and staff about his intention.

Eastwell shares his insights gained after years of being part of the organisation: “The recent sudden rush to meet legal energy targets for buildings has quite rightly focused on reducing demands, re-using heat and cold and supplying what remaining demand there is with low carbon, highly efficient devices, but just for a little while, we have taken our eye off the IAQ ball. It is time to re-focus efforts to make sure that, in our aims to be energy meagre, we don’t swap one set of problems for another.”

On his decision to relinquish his post, Eastwell says: “I, too, am part of this cycle, having been on the first wave of IAQ research, but now it is time to pass the BSRIA baton…. The search is now on for my successor. But from what I can see, there is plenty of enthusiasm and talent around to see BSRIA thrive and grow as it has done in the past decade.”