About Us - AASA

AASA History

In 1962, shortly after the formation of ASHRAE from the predecessor ASHAE (prior to 1954 it was called ASHVE) and ASRE societies, the ASHRAE Board of Directors decided to make it possible for any qualifying overseas national society engaged in the same field of activity to become an affiliate of ASHRAE. The intent of the Board was to broaden ASHRAE's scope of activities in the free world and to make possible a more effective and more fruitful exchange of ideas among engineers engaged in the arts and sciences of Refrigeration, Heating and Air-Conditioning. The first societies to take advantage of this opportunity were Gruppo Italiano of Milan, Italy and the Swiss Heating and Ventilating Group of Zurich. These societies were followed, shortly after, by the Australian Institute of Refrigeration.

ASHRAE's international activities were coordinated in that period by the International Relations Committee. The September 1962 ASHRAE Journal featured this new international role of the Society. Over time the International Relations Committee evolved into the ASHRAE International Committee and the ASHRAE Affiliate Societies, with few exceptions, became known as Associate Societies. The International Committee oversaw the applications of overseas Societies for Associate Society status and administered the ASHRAE Libraries provided to these overseas Societies.

By the early 1990s ASHRAE had begun to charter Chapters in overseas countries where sufficient interest and viability were demonstrated by a nucleus of ASHRAE members. Some Associate Societies saw this as competitive with their own interests and it became clear that a different structure for management of relationships with the overseas Societies would be beneficial. Initially, a new dual structure was established as a transitional step. This involved coordination of Associate Society relationships by the International Committee and an Overseas Regional Group that coordinated relationships with the overseas Chapters. By the mid-1990s the number of overseas Chapters had grown substantially and it was decided to form a new overseas Region (at Large) to administer Chapters consistent with ASHRAE's North American Chapter and Region organization.

In order not to diminish the importance of the Associate Societies in ASHRAE's international activities the ASHRAE Board of Directors established, in 1997, a new structure called the ASHRAE Associate Society Alliance, which would include ASHRAE and all recognized Associate Societies, as members. The purpose of this Alliance remains true to the objectives of the original ASHRAE Affiliate Society program – to enable ASHRAE to participate collaboratively in the advancement of the Arts and Sciences of Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration technologies and to foster effective and fruitful exchanges of ideas and information between participants.