AIRAH celebrates its 101st birthday

AIRAH has celebrated its “Centenary plus one” by sharing a special edition of its official journal, Ecolibrium, and by unveiling the complete list of its 100 Faces.

On March 29 in 1920, the The Victorian Institute of Refrigeration was incorporated by guarantee. Forty years later, it changed its name to the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) to recognise its increasingly national reach and also the growth of the air conditioning industry. Since then, it has become Australia’s leading specialist membership association for HVAC&R and building services professionals

Over the past year, the Institute has been celebrating its 100 years with a dedicated website, scholarships, and special events.

“In 2020, we celebrated 100 years of AIRAH, our members, and incredible innovations from across the HVAC&R industry,” says AIRAH.

“For our birthday this year, we look ahead. Because now – more than ever – society understands that the HVAC&R industry plays a hugely important role in ensuring safe, sustainable, healthy and effective environments. And we remain committed to our mission of creating an Australian HVAC&R industry that is highly skilled and professional, safe, sustainable and environmentally effective.”

Throughout 2020, AIRAH also published a series of articles in its official journal, Ecolibrium, celebrating individuals, technological achievements, and the past, present, and future of the Institute. These have been compiled in a special Centenary edition, available as a limited print run, and also online.

To mark its birthday, AIRAH has also unveiled the complete list of its 100 Faces. The profiles highlight notable people, projects, products, organisations, and leaders from across the HVAC&R industry over time, and paint a picture of the achievements in the field.

Finally, the Institute has released a video marking its Centenary.