ATLANTA — From changes to buildings created by the pandemic to decarbonization, the 2022 ASHRAE Annual Conference in Toronto offered an exchange of knowledge to direct the future of the global built environment.

The five-day conference, held from June 25-29 at the Sheraton Centre Hotel, Toronto, included eight conference tracks, tours, social events and committee meetings. More than 1,800 HVACR industry professionals, building systems engineers, architects, contractors and students attended the conference and committee meetings, in-person and virtually.

Farooq Mehboob, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, took office as the 2022-23 ASHRAE President. In his inaugural address, Mehboob introduced ASHRAE’s theme for the Society Year, “Securing Our Future.” He focused on how the crucial personal and professional events of the past can help leverage relationships, knowledge, and change as the formula for making an impact and embracing our diverse world.

“The future does not belong to those who sit and watch,” said Mehboob. “A meaningful and powerful future will not come to us … we must collectively seek it, create it, and secure it. And that’s what we’ll do because that’s who we are. It’s in our ASHRAE DNA. Success stems from seeing an opportunity for improvement based on new knowledge and technology. This has made ASHRAE what it is today - the world’s leading global HVACR society.”

Mehboob’s presidential address manuscript and presentation can be found at ashrae.org/president.

The Annual Conference featured more than 80 technical sessions and livestreamed sessions for virtual attendees.

Top In-Person Sessions

• Designing for Air-Source Heat Pumps in Cold Climates;
• Designing Control Systems for Net-Zero Energy Buildings and Communities;
• LIVESTREAM: Climate Change Issues for Decarbonization, IAQ and Sustainable Buildings;
• LIVESTREAM: Update on the Progress of the Task Force for Building Decarbonization; and
• Smart Buildings as a Transactive Energy Hub: Decarbonizing by Enhancing Building-to-Grid Interactions.

Top Livestreamed Sessions

• LIVESTREAM: Climate Change Issues for Decarbonization, IAQ and Sustainable Buildings; and
• LIVESTREAM: COVID-19 and Indoor Air Filtration.

During the plenary session, Jeff Littleton, executive vice president and secretary, ASHRAE, reported on the society’s current initiatives and in his farewell address, outgoing 2021-2022 ASHRAE president Mick Schwedler reflected on his presidential year and the accomplishments realized through the 2021-2022 society theme, “Personal Growth. Global Impact. Feed the Roots.”

“Our deep technical roots continue to deliver the knowledge we all need to grow personally,” said Schwedler. “These all help us to deliver extraordinary value to our more than 51,000 global members who in turn use that knowledge to serve humanity.”

The plenary session also featured a presentation of awards and honors recognizing the outstanding achievements and contributions of members to the Society and the industry at large. Nationally recognized STEM educator Fredi Lajvardi gave an exciting presentation on maximizing personal potential and working together to solve complex problems. A recording of the plenary session can be accessed on the ASHRAE YouTube channel.

ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) offered eight courses. New courses were as follows: Introduction to Building Decarbonization, Energy Management Best Practices, and Smart HVAC Solutions for Climate Design.

All registered attendees, both in-person and virtual, will have access to the virtual conference environment on-demand for 12 months post-conference.

ASHRAE remained committed to the health and safety of conference attendees. In addition to strongly recommending mask wearing while indoors, ASHRAE provided complimentary COVID-19 testing to international travelers requiring a negative test to return to their countries of origin. ASHRAE’s Commitment to Care document explains health and safety measures the Society implemented for attendees  before, during and after the conference.