ASHRAE President Visit: Indoor Environmental Quality testing

ASHRAE President Bill McQuade and ASHRAE Vice President Mahroo Eftekhari stand with the Airmid Healthgroup team outside the Dublin aerobiology and indoor environmental quality research facility. — ASHRAE President Bill McQuade center left and ASHRAE Region XIV Director and Regional Chair Mahroo Eftekhari center with the Airmid Healthgroup research and leadership team outside the companys Dublin facilities following discussions on the future of healthy buildings infectious aerosol science and Indoor Environmental Quality IEQ

How ASHRAE Leadership Is Advancing Indoor Environmental Quality Testing and Verification Science for Healthy Buildings

The question seems simple: what makes a building healthy?

But the answer has become increasingly complex. For decades, buildings were designed around energy efficiency and mechanical performance. Today, a different conversation is happening. Buildings are finally being judged on something far more human: how well they support the people who occupy them.

This conversation was at the center of a recent visit to Airmid Healthgroup by William McQuade, President of ASHRAE, whose current presidential theme is “Designing for Life.”

During the visit, President McQuade was joined by Mahroo Eftekhari, ASHRAE Region XIV Director and Regional Chair, and Howard Neville, President of ASHRAE Ireland, who brought regional perspective and local expertise to discussions about healthy buildings and the future of indoor environmental quality standards.

It’s the kind of practical, evidence-based work that often happens quietly behind the scenes, but it matters more now than ever.

Why This Moment?

The built environment sector is at an inflection point. Technologies are proliferating: HEPA filtration, UV systems, air purification devices, antimicrobial treatments, and more. But which ones actually work? Under what conditions? For how long? That’s where verification science comes in.

Airmid Healthgroup doesn’t claim to invent these technologies. Instead, our lab helps answer a more fundamental question: Do they do what they claim to do?

As the industry moves toward healthier indoor environments, it needs credible, independent testing that builders, manufacturers, and facility managers can trust.

Dr. John McKeon, Medical Director of Airmid, is actively shaping this landscape through his involvement in ASHRAE’s Environmental Health Committee, the newly established Center of Excellence for Indoor Environmental Quality (CEIEQ), and as Chair of Innovation for ASHRAE’s Reactive Air and Surface Technologies (RAST) initiative.

The visit with President McQuade reflected a broader recognition: the future of healthy buildings depends on the convergence of multiple disciplines. Engineers, scientists, clinicians, and standards organizations must work together to translate innovation into evidence.

Beyond IAQ to Indoor Environmental Quality Testing

The conversations also touched on a significant evolution underway in the industry: a move away from focusing narrowly on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) toward broader Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) frameworks. This may sound like a semantic distinction, but it really isn’t.

IAQ concentrates on air alone, but IEQ considers the full spectrum of indoor conditions that influence human health and wellbeing: air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, lighting, and occupant experience.

That integrated approach reflects a mature understanding of how buildings actually affect human beings. It’s not just about filtration rates or ventilation schedules but more about creating spaces where people feel well, think clearly, and remain healthy.

Looking Ahead and the Future of Indoor Environmental Quality Testing

As the ASHRAE community prepares for the Annual Conference in Austin, the work being done on indoor environmental quality testing at facilities like Airmid is becoming more visible and more valued. The industry is beginning to understand that healthy buildings are not a luxury. They are infrastructure, and like all infrastructure, they require rigorous science, thoughtful design, and continuous verification.

The visit concluded with discussions about future collaboration on indoor environmental quality testing and the ongoing importance of interdisciplinary partnership as the built environment sector charts its course toward genuinely healthy buildings.