AASA to hold global alliance meeting

As part of the ASHRAE Annual Meeting, the ASHRAE Associate Society Alliance (AASA) will convene its own meeting on June 17, just days ahead of the 2020 ASHRAE Virtual Conference scheduled to take place from June 22-25.

The Alliance is an assembly of representatives of Associate Societies of ASHRAE, representing 15 regions and more than 200 regional chapters around the world.

Among the items on the meeting agenda, the Alliance will be reviewing the new AASA Member Map as well as hold open discussions on the results of the AASA Survey and the creation of a Manual of Operations (MOP).

The AASA Member Map shows the regional groupings of the Associate Societies according to their respective geographical positions on the world map.

The Alliance is grouped into four geographical zones, each led by an elected Councillor as follows:

• Americas zone – Oswaldo Bueno, Brazilian Association of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Heating, (ABRAVA)

• Africa/Middle East zone – Khurram Malik, Pakistan Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Society (PHVACRS)

• Asia/South Pacific zone – Prof. Noboru Kagawa, Japan Society of Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (JSRAE)

• European zone – Jaap Hogeling, TVVL (Dutch Society for Building Services) and Carlos Lisboa, Portuguese Association of Engineers of Industrial Refrigeration & Air Conditioning (EFRIARC)

AIRAH belongs to the Asia-South Pacific zone, which includes other Member Associations such as: the Chinese Association of Refrigeration (CAR); China Committee of HVAC (CCHVAC); Japan Society of Refrigerating & Air Conditioning Engineers (JSRAE); Society of Heating; Air Conditioning & Sanitary Engineers of Japan (SHASE); Institute of Refrigeration, Heating & Air Conditioning Engineers of New Zealand (IRHACE); Philippine Green Building Initiative (PGBI); Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers, Inc. (PSME); Philippine Society of Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Engineers (PSVARE); Korean Institute of Architectural Environment & Building Systems (KIAEBS); and Society of Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Engineers of Korea (SAREK).

The Alliance will also be discussing the results of the AASA Survey, which was conducted to gather feedback on their organisational structure and duties.

Among the findings, the survey results reveal an overwhelming support for the Alliance to meet twice instead of once per year – in both the ASHRAE Winter Meeting and Annual Meeting – as well as preference for the Councillor to serve two successive terms.

The Member Associations are also in favour of the Alliance assigning dues to pay for programs and initiatives to AASA; soliciting donations; and establishing an ‘active’ and ‘inactive’ status for Alliance membership.

Also on the table for discussion is the new AASA Manual of Procedures (MOP). The document was developed within the General Committee to describe the methods and procedures by which the committee accomplishes the duties and responsibilities assigned to it.

The manual is an internal document of the committee for its own guidance. The MOP identifies the duties and responsibilities of the Committee and its membership composition, among other things. 

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is an American professional association seeking to advance heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration systems design and construction. ASHRAE has over 57,000 members in more than 132 countries worldwide.

Established in 1962, the AASA was created to raise the stature of the HVAC&R industry, related industries, and its science and application, in order to influence decision-makers in creating a more sustainable world.