Finding Meaning and Purpose, with ASHRAE's Dennis Knight
HPAC On The Air this month welcomes M. Dennis Knight, PE, ASHRAE’s president for the 2024-25 term. Knight officially assumed that post at the Society's annual meeting in June, on a date that coincided with his 50th wedding anniversary, adding to the celebration.
Among his voluminous contributions to ASHRAE over the last several decades, he has most recently served as chair of the International Standards Advisory Subcommittee and vice chair of the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force. The theme for Knight's 2024-25 presidency is “Empowering Our Workforce: Building a Sustainable Future.”
That theme highlights the emergence of new technologies to the HVACR and building sciences and how ASHRAE will play a pivotal role in ensuring that the workforce remains adaptive and forward-thinking. Registered in South Carolina as both a Mechanical Engineer and a Fire Protection Engineer, he is the founder of Whole Building Systems, LLC, Mount Pleasant, SC, where he introduced building information modeling (BIM) to a 30-person design firm in the early 2000’s and provided whole building energy simulation analysis.
We spoke with Knight not long after the U.S. presidential election, the results of which some think may alter the U.S. approach to sustainability moving forward. Knight took the long view.
"While our political landscape might shift, ASHRAE's mission to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world remains unchanged," he said. “Our mission remains rock solid. So, we will continue to provide technical expertise and guidance based on scientific evidence and engineering principles. And I think that’s what we’ll do for the next 130 years, too.”
For the rest of our interview, click below...
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