Our long-term goal is to help the industry deliver practical, achievable net-zero energy buildings by 2031: Bill McQuade

As the built environment continues to expand rapidly across emerging economies like India, the need for sustainable, energy-efficient and healthy buildings has never been more urgent. In an interaction with Bizz Buzz, Bill McQuade, President of the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers), shared his vision for healthier buildings, decarbonisation pathways, global collaboration, and the role of new technologies such as artificial intelligence in the building sector.

With over three decades of experience in HVACR and sustainability, McQuade also serves as Vice-President for Government Affairs and Global Sustainability at Baltimore Aircoil Company.

During his visit to India, he spoke about ASHRAE’s initiatives, the importance of indoor environmental quality, and how collaboration with organisations such as the Indian Green Building Council can accelerate the global transition towards net-zero buildings.

Your presidential theme is “Healthy Buildings: Designing for Life.” What inspired this focus?

The inspiration really came from the lessons we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the building industry paid unprecedented attention to ventilation, indoor air quality, and occupant health.

However, as the crisis faded, I noticed that many building owners and operators began reverting to older practices that contributed to poor indoor environments.

I felt it was important to ensure that the hard lessons we learned were not forgotten. My presidential theme—Healthy Buildings: Designing for Life—is about integrating those lessons into long-term building design and operation.

In recent years, our industry has made remarkable progress in improving energy efficiency and decarbonisation. However, sometimes the steps taken to reduce energy consumption can inadvertently compromise indoor environmental quality. My goal is to promote a balanced approach, where sustainability and occupant well-being go hand in hand.

Ultimately, buildings are constructed for people. They are not built simply to earn plaques or certifications. If the occupants inside a building are not healthy, comfortable, and productive, then we have missed the fundamental purpose of building design.

Today, people spend nearly 90 per cent of their time indoors, which means the quality of indoor environments has a direct impact on health, productivity, and overall well-being. That is why we must design buildings that support both environmental sustainability and human health.

Indoor environmental quality traditionally focuses on four aspects—thermal comfort, air quality, lighting, and acoustics. Why did you add water as an important dimension?

Water is a topic I am personally very passionate about. Many people assume that the water entering buildings is always safe and clean. Unfortunately, that assumption is not always correct.

In some regions, particularly in developing countries, water contamination is a known challenge. But even in developed nations, we are increasingly seeing issues related to waterborne pathogens and building plumbing systems.

When we bring air into a building, we filter and monitor it carefully to ensure it is safe for occupants. Yet, we often do not apply the same level of scrutiny to water systems inside buildings. That needs to change.

Poorly managed water systems can lead to serious health risks, including diseases caused by pathogens like Legionella. Therefore, monitoring, treating, and managing water within buildings must become a core part of healthy building design.

Adding water as a key element of indoor environmental quality ensures that building designers and operators treat it with the same importance as air quality and thermal comfort.

Net-zero buildings have become a major focus globally. What role is ASHRAE playing in advancing this transition?

Net-zero is indeed one of the most important discussions in the global building industry today. At ASHRAE, we have been working on this for many years through our standards and technical guidelines.

One of the most influential tools is ASHRAE Standard 90.1, which establishes minimum energy performance requirements for buildings. This standard has been developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and has been progressively strengthened with each revision.

Our long-term goal is to enable the industry to deliver practical and achievable net-zero energy buildings by 2031. Each update to the standard gradually raises performance expectations so that the industry can transition toward that objective.

In addition, ASHRAE publishes Advanced Energy Design Guides that provide practical recommendations for architects and engineers working on different building types. These resources are freely available for download and help professionals design highly efficient buildings using proven technologies and strategies.

Together, these standards and guidance documents help create a roadmap for achieving net-zero energy and net-zero carbon buildings.

ASHRAE has also established a Center of Excellence for Building Decarbonisation. What is its purpose?

The Center of Excellence for Building Decarbonisation was created to address an important gap in the building sustainability conversation. Traditionally, a lot of research has focused on materials such as concrete and glass, particularly the embodied carbon associated with those materials.

However, building mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems—commonly known as MEP systems—have often been overlooked.

These systems contribute both embodied carbon from manufacturing and installation and operational carbon from energy consumption over the building’s lifetime. In many cases, the operational carbon footprint can be even larger than the embodied carbon.

The centre focuses on developing methodologies and guidance to quantify and reduce emissions from MEP systems. It also provides recommendations for both new buildings and existing building retrofits.

By addressing this previously neglected area, the centre helps the industry develop a more complete approach to building decarbonisation

Collaboration between global organisations is increasingly important. How can ASHRAE and IGBC work together more effectively?

Memorandums of Understanding between organisations are valuable, but what truly matters is action. The partnership between ASHRAE and IGBC is a great opportunity to combine technical expertise with practical implementation.

ASHRAE provides deep technical knowledge and standard development capabilities, while organisations like IGBC bring strong regional insights and implementation experience.

To make this collaboration meaningful, we need constant feedback from partners like IGBC regarding what kind of technical guidance is required to support green building rating systems and policies.

Another important aspect is avoiding duplication of effort. The challenges of climate change, energy efficiency, and healthy buildings are too large for any organisation to tackle alone. Collaboration enables us to develop synergistic solutions that are both practical and scalable.

How is ASHRAE addressing the global nature of building standards?

Historically, many standards developed by ASHRAE were largely influenced by North American conditions. Over time, we realised that this approach was not ideal for a truly global organisation.

To address this, we established a committee within our Technology Council that focuses specifically on identifying the needs of different global regions. Today, ASHRAE has 16 global regions, each with unique climatic, economic, and regulatory conditions. The committee works to determine which standards require adaptation or tailoring for specific regions and how those adjustments can be implemented.

This ensures that ASHRAE standards remain relevant and effective across different parts of the world rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model.

Artificial intelligence is transforming many industries. What is ASHRAE’s perspective on AI in the built environment?

Artificial intelligence is going to play a major role in the future of the building industry. We are already seeing its impact in areas such as data centre development, building automation, and energy optimisation.

At ASHRAE, we have established a dedicated committee to evaluate how AI will influence our industry and our organisation.

This committee is examining several aspects, including how AI can improve productivity, how it may transform building control systems, and how it can enhance the dissemination of technical knowledge.

We are also exploring how AI-driven tools such as chatbots, analytics platforms, and automated design systems can support engineers and building professionals. At the same time, we are paying close attention to issues such as intellectual property protection and responsible use of AI technologies.

As the saying goes, the best way to predict the future is to create it. Rather than reacting to AI later, we want to proactively shape how it is used in the building sector.

Finally, how can collaboration between ASHRAE chapters and industry organisations in India be strengthened?

India has a strong network of ASHRAE chapters across multiple cities, which creates a powerful platform for collaboration. These chapters can work closely with organisations such as IGBC to engage with policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders. By providing technical expertise and evidence-based guidance, we can help governments develop effective regulations for energy efficiency, decarbonisation, and healthy buildings.

Aligning our messages and combining local insights with international expertise will help ensure that policies and standards support India’s rapidly growing construction sector while promoting sustainability and occupant well-being.

Ultimately, collaboration is the key to accelerating progress in the global transition toward healthier and more sustainable buildings.