ASHRAE recognises member achievements at 2026 Winter Conference

ATLANTA, Georgia, United States, 1 February 2026: ASHRAE said it honoured members whose leadership, innovation and service have made a lasting impact on the Society and the built environment during its 2026 Winter Conference in Las Vegas. Making the announcement through a Press Release, the Society said the recognitions highlighted the distinct ways ASHRAE members advanced building performance, sustainability and the HVACR profession worldwide.

ASHRAE said Chandra Sekhar, Fellow Life Member, ASHRAE, received the F. Paul Anderson Award. The Society said the award is its highest technical achievement given for notable achievement of outstanding services performed in the HVACR field and added that Sekhar is a professor at the National University of Singapore, College of Design and Engineering, Department of the Built Environment, Singapore.

The Society said Ron Jarnagin (1946-2024), Presidential Fellow Life Member, ASHRAE and Kenneth Loudermilk (1954-2023), Life Member, ASHRAE have been inducted into the ASHRAE Hall of Fame. ASHRAE said the ASHRAE Hall of Fame honours deceased members who have made milestone contributions to the growth of ASHRAE-related technology or the development of ASHRAE as a society.

ASHRAE said Darryl Boyce, Presidential Fellow Life Member, ASHRAE, received the ASHRAE Distinguished Public Service Award and added that the award recognises a member who has performed outstanding public service in their community and has helped improve the public image of the engineer. The Society said Boyce is the owner of Boyce Consulting Services in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada.

The Society said it has elevated 24 members to the grade of Fellow ASHRAE, which it described as a membership grade recognising members who have attained distinction and made substantial contributions in HVACR and the built environment. ASHRAE listed the new Fellows as Omar Abdelaziz, Amanda Bogner, Lianne Cockerton, Lorenzo Cremaschi, Abdel Kader Darwich, Steven J. DiFlora, Mahroo Eftekhari, Kenneth M. Fulk, Christopher Gray, Gregor P. Henze, Satish N. Iyengar, Amir Jokar, Tracey Jumper, Michael J. Langton, Phil Naughton, Alan Neely, Bruce I. Nelson, Clay Nesler, Daniel C. Pettway, Carsten Rode, Richard W. Trent, Thanos Tzempelikos, James W. VanGilder and Mack Wallace.

ASHRAE said Alekhya Kaianathbhatta received the YEA Inspirational Leader Award, noting that the award recognises a Young Engineer in ASHRAE member who has made considerable contributions to the industry and community. The Society said Kaianathbhatta is an Associate at The HIDI Group in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Society said Nasser A. Karimzadeh received the Milton W. Garland Refrigeration Award and added that the award recognises the designer and owner of a commercial or industrial refrigeration application that demonstrated innovation and advancement in the field. ASHRAE said Karimzadeh is the Chief Industrial Refrigeration Engineer at VaCom Technology in Oakwood, Georgia.

ASHRAE said John Constantinide received the John F. James International Award, which the Society said recognises a member who has done the most to enhance the Society’s international presence or posture. ASHRAE said Constantinide is a Range Mechanical Engineer with the U.S. Space Force at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida.

The Society said Carey Simonson received the E.K. Campbell Award of Merit. ASHRAE said the award honours an individual for outstanding service and achievement in teaching and added that Simonson is with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

ASHRAE said the Award of Engineering Excellence was presented to Kunita Shindo and Dr Shun Kawakubo in the new industrial facilities or process category for the OKI Honjo Plant H1 Factory in Saitama, Japan. The Society said the building is owned by OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

ASHRAE said its Technology Awards recognises achievements by members who have applied innovative building designs. The Society said Barry Lau received an award in the EBCx commercial buildings category for Citygate Outlets in Hong Kong, owned by Swire Properties Limited. ASHRAE said Eikichi Ono, Takamasa Hasama, Toby Cheung and Yuichi Takemasa have received an award in the new commercial buildings category for The GEAR in Singapore, owned by Kajima Development.

The Society said Ben Kleine-Kracht and Jess Farber have received an award in the existing educational facilities category for Buckley Elementary School in Manchester, Connecticut, owned by the Town of Manchester. ASHRAE said Grayson Woods, Ben Hobbs and Kyle Sprague have received an award in the new educational facilities category for Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C., owned by the Department of General Services.

ASHRAE said Nolan Amos and Bill Sharp received an award in the new institutional category for Centre College Champions Hall in Danville, Kentucky, owned by Centre College. The Society said Jess Farber, Ben Kleine-Kracht, Thom Anderson and Kyle Smith received an award in the EBCx health care facilities category for Boston Medical Center: Brockton Behavioral Health Center in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Boston Medical Center.

ASHRAE said Kevin Sharples, Kurt Monteiro and Peter Kastelic received an award in the new health care facilities category for New Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada, owned by the Government of Newfoundland. The Society said Austin Boone and Brice Watson received an award in the existing public assembly category for Stead Park Recreation Center in Washington, D.C., owned by DGS.

ASHRAE said Spencer Howell, Shruti Borle, BEMP and David W. Griffin II, BEMP received an award in the new public assembly category for Salt Lake County Daybreak Library in South Jordan, Utah, owned by Salt Lake City County Facilities Management.

The Society said its Student Design Competition focused on a new medical office building in Manchester, England. ASHRAE said first place in the HVAC Design Calculations category was awarded to Ain Shams University and added that first place in the HVAC System Selection category was also awarded to the same institution. The Society said first place in the Setty Family Foundation Net Zero Energy Design category was awarded to New Jersey Institute of Technology.

ASHRAE said the Setty Family Foundation Applied Engineering Challenge focused on the development of a carbon capture and utilisation module and that the first-place student team was awarded to Simon Fraser University. The Society said the first-place student team in the Building EQ Competition was awarded to the University of Washington.