AIRAH

As someone who manages major national events for a living, AIRAH Conference and Events Manager Marie Karekla knows that even the best-laid plans are subject to change.

We know that looking after our buildings make sense, but in a world where new technology and innovation grab the headlines, how do we make it a priority?

It’s hard to believe 2024 is already coming to a close! My first six months as AIRAH president have been both an honour and a whirlwind. It feels like just yesterday that I was introduced as the new president at the AIRAH AGM, but in reality so much has happened since then.

On my first morning in Yogyakarta a few weeks ago, I took the Indonesian equivalent of an Uber to what the guidebooks describe as a “water castle”. I like water and I love castles, so I didn’t need any convincing.

Priya Gandhi, M.AIRAH, took the trip of a lifetime to Antarctica in 2023. Laura Timberlake speaks to her about the lessons she learned.

If you’ve been an avid reader of Ecolibrium over the past decade and a half, you’ll notice that, for the first time in 160-odd issues, there’s a new photo on this page. It’s with a mixture of excitement and nervousness that I take the reins from the inimitable Matt Dillon.

AIRAH has announced the finalists for the 2024 AIRAH Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements from across Australia’s HVAC&R building services industry.

AIRAH Victorian division chair Rula Karali, M.AIRAH, shares her international HVAC&R journey.

On Thursday, June 27 the National Trust and James Harrison’s descendants held an event at Eastern Cemetery in Geelong to commemorate the restoration of Harrison’s grave.

Recognising the growing role of data and analytics in our buildings, AIRAH has published the Big Data Guideline, a free resource to support building owners, facility managers, consultants and service providers embarking on their big data journey. 

The adoption of ISO 16890 in Australia will support better filter selection and specification, according to Daniel McCaffrey, M.AIRAH, and Peter Mathieson, F.AIRAH, from AIRAH’s IAQ Special Technical Group.

Abraham Corona, M.AIRAH, has joined the AIRAH team in a newly created role: Industry Impact Manager.

AIRAH’s Advocacy and Policy Manager Mark Vender muses on the exceptional treatment of pre-charged equipment in Australia’s HFC phase-down.

The NABERS/CBD Conference was an opportunity to celebrate 25 years of Australia’s building ratings system – and to look to the next quarter century.

This paper presents a techno-economic evaluation of a phase change material (PCM) thermal battery (TB) system developed through an industry-university cooperation project.

How does this matter to you, you might ask. My point is that we are living in a fast-moving world marked by uncertainty, protectionism, and isolation. As our industry navigates the turbulent waters of technological advancements, economic shifts, and societal transformations, the role of professional associations has never been more critical. 

Mark Lommers, M.AIRAH, has built considerable expertise in immersion-cooled supercomputers, and along the way developed a familiarity with some characters known as Bazza, Bubba and Bruce. Ecolibrium editor Matt Dillon recently broke bread with the Perth-based tech expert.

William (Bill) Lane, L.AIRAH, is one of several veteran AIRAH members who meet regularly for a “Legends lunch”.

Mikaila Ganado has been named AIRAH President, replacing Paul Jackson, with Alan Fok and Chris Bong elected as new board directors.

AIRAH’s APER has been approved to register engineers in the ACT.