ASHRAE Announces Rebranding
News Release Originally Released January 21, 2012
ASHRAE Evolves in Recognition of Role of Providing Total Building Guidance
CHICAGO—Throughout its 117-year history, ASHRAE has been the go-to source in the HVAC&R industry for standards, education and other resources for engineers. As the role of HVAC&R has progressed to incorporate many facets of building design, construction and operation ASHRAE has changed as well. Today, ASHRAE is announcing an evolution of its brand to reflect those changes. Elements of the repositioning include a refreshed logo, a new tagline and a change to using only its acronym.
The announcement was made today at the Society’s 2012 Winter Conference being held this week in Chicago.
“ASHRAE’s original commitment to HVAC&R engineering excellence remains resolute even as the Society continues to expand its influence into all facets of building design, construction, reconstruction and operation,” ASHRAE President Ron Jarnagin said. “Just as integrated design is the cornerstone of sustainable buildings, ASHRAE members create an integrated body of knowledge to make buildings as high performing as possible.”
The repositioning of the ASHRAE brand evolution is an acknowledgement of ASHRAE’s broadening scope beyond HVAC&R to include standards, research, publications and educational resources relating to total building design, energy efficiency efforts and sustainable building technologies, otherwise referred to as the total building environment, according to Jarnagin. Over the years, ASHRAE has worked to provide resources on a wide range of industry practices and issues such as commissioning, building automation control, indoor environmental quality for buildings and aircraft, energy efficiency and the smart grid initiative.
The most visible change is the refreshed Society’s logo, which was created in 1959 when the American Society of Refrigerating Engineers and the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers merged to form ASHRAE.
“We want our logo to reflect that we are looking ahead,” Tom Watson, chair of the logo ad hoc committee, said. “The industry has changed and so have we. In creating this logo, we wanted to pay homage to our HVAC&R origins by keeping the familiar hexagon and traditional shade of blue, while looking forward to a more sustainable future.”
Along with the new logo, ASHRAE also has a new tagline: Shaping Tomorrow’s Built Environment Today. The tagline serves as a promise to members, and the industry, that whatever the future brings in the built community, ASHRAE will be at the forefront for research and guidance.
Lastly, the Society is doing business as “ASHRAE” vs. using its full legal name of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. Use of ASHRAE reflects the Society’s worldwide membership and that services will continue evolving globally.
In addition, the rebranding coincides with a redesign of ASHRAE.org. With this redesign comes better navigation, a better search engine and better tracking, all of which will help ASHRAE members find the information they need, whether it’s for their role in the industry or ASHRAE.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a building technology society with more than 50,000 members worldwide. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and sustainability within the industry. Through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today.
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