ATLANTA - Recognizing his lifetime commitment to sustainable building practices, Gordon Holness, 2009-10 president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), has been recognized with the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition (HPBCCC) Award.

This is the first time such recognition has been given by the Coalition. Holness, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, was recognized for his leadership and work in the area of high-performance buildings as well as for ASHRAE’s establishment and continued support of the Coalition.

“Gordon Holness has been a strong advocate for high-performance buildings both inside and outside of ASHRAE. His support of Building Information Modeling, focus on the totality of a building, and recognition of the need to make existing buildings high-performance has led the Coalition’s leadership to select him to receive the award,” said Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, president, National Institute of Building Sciences.

As ASHRAE president for 2009-10, Holness selected his presidential theme, Sustaining Our Future by Rebuilding Our Past, to address energy efficiency in existing buildings. Holness also helped advance sustainability through his service on the Advanced Energy Design Guide Steering Committee and the ASHRAE Headquarters Building Renovation Committee.

“I have had a wonderful opportunity throughout my career and through my long relationship with ASHRAE to address the development of high-performance buildings,” Holness said. “Today we really see the confluence of energy availability, cost, and environmental impact driving change in the way we design, construct, and operate buildings. Albert Kahn Associates Inc. Architects and Engineers, the company where I spent the last 30 plus years really practiced what they preached in terms of ensuring building occupant health, comfort, and safety and as a result we were fortunate enough to win many ASHRAE Technology Awards for high performance and energy efficiency. I was privileged to benefit from the strengths of both great organizations.”

The High-Performance Buildings Caucus of the U.S. Congress was formed to heighten awareness and inform policymakers about the major impact buildings have on the health, safety, and welfare of occupants and the opportunities to design, construct, and operate high-performance buildings that reflect concern for these impacts. HPBCCC is a private sector coalition providing guidance and support to the Caucus.

Publication date:06/28/2010