August 1, 2014—ASHRAE and the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) have agreed in principle to join forces, combining resources to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in the built environment and aligning programs to create high-impact resources for building professionals around the globe.
IAQA will become a part of the ASHRAE organization while maintaining its own brand and Board of Directors, and will operate independently within ASHRAE’s organizational structure. Plans call for IAQA headquarters to relocate from Rockville, Maryland, to Atlanta, Georgia, home of ASHRAE’s international headquarters. The agreement was reached between the leadership of both associations and confirmed at ASHRAE’s 2014 Annual Conference earlier this month.
“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.” Phoenix added, “Air quality systems must work harmoniously with other systems in homes and buildings to ensure a healthy and sustainable built environment.”
“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.”
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. Established in 1995, IAQA is reportedly the nation’s largest IAQ trade association, with over 2,600 members and more than 20 local chapters across the USA and Canada. IAQA provides continuing education, conferences and expositions, certification programs, monthly Webinars, and technical publications, and funds IAQ-related research. IAQA subsidiary Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO) is an American National Standards Institute- (ANSI) accredited standards developing organization.
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 works to shape tomorrow’s built environment today.
