As part of his UK and Ireland tour, Ashrae president Tim Wentz recently visited the Ashrae UK Midlands Section at an event at Loughborough University. 

Members of the UK Midlands Section board of governors had a chance to meet with Tim to discuss Ashrae’s role in the UK and look at how Ashrae HQ could help the new UK Midlands Section to make Ashrae more relevant to its UK membership.

President of the section, Eddie Murphy, said: “We are immensely grateful that Tim has found time in his punishing schedule to come and show his support for the very special things that we are doing here in the Midlands. His visit has underlined the very successful first year of Ashrae UK Midlands since our formation in September 2015 and launches us into what we expect will be even greater progress in 2016 as we put in place our plans to create the first Chapter of Ashrae in the UK.”

He added: “In tandem we will also create a Young Engineers of Ashrae Section linking young UK engineers to the wider network of Ashrae technical excellence around the globe”

During his visit, Tim delivered his presentation entitled ‘Adapt Today to Shape Tomorrow’ which describes his vision for how the building services engineering professions must change if they are to meet the needs of a changing future for or industry and the planet. More than 70 people attended the event and engaged in lively debate on the society's role in supporting engineers and practitioners. 

Ashrae was founded in 1894 and is 'a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment'. It has more than 54,000 members worldwide who focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability. It carries out research, writes standards, publishes papers and articles, and provides certification and education. The UK Midlands Section is the first fully affiliated Ashrae group in the UK. It organises regular meetings and technical events in the region. More information on the section can be found on http://ukmidlands.ashraechapters.org/

A YouTube video of Tim’s presidential talk Adapt Today to Shape Tomorrow given earlier in the year is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQXiqauN4fM