About this Event
Advancing building performance. Connecting industry experience with the next generation.
Join ASHRAE Ireland for an evening of technical learning, professional insights and networking with Bill McQuade, Immediate Past President of ASHRAE and ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer, hosted by Dr. John McKeon, President of ASHRAE Ireland Chapter.
Taking place at The Dean, Dublin, on Friday, 13 November 2026, the programme combines a Distinguished Lecture on healthier building design, an opportunity to meet Bill in person, and a Young Engineers in ASHRAE (YEA) panel discussion exploring the lessons that shape successful careers.
The evening brings together engineers, architects, researchers, students and industry professionals to exchange knowledge across disciplines and generations.
4:30–6:00pm | ASHRAE Distinguished Lecture
Designing for Life: The Role of Water and Indoor Environmental Quality
Bill McQuade, P.E., CDP, Fellow ASHRAE, LEED AP
Building performance encompasses more than energy consumption. The quality of the indoor environment and the systems that sustain it - has direct implications for occupant health, comfort and wellbeing.
Bill McQuade will examine the relationship between water systems and indoor environmental quality, exploring how integrated design can support healthier, more resilient and higher-performing buildings. Drawing on extensive HVAC&R experience and his presidential theme, Healthy Buildings: Designing for Life, he will bring an international industry perspective to the discussion.
6:00–6:30pm | Meet-and-Greet and Networking
Meet Bill McQuade, continue the conversation following the lecture and connect with colleagues and industry leaders from across the built environment community.
6:30–9:00pm | YEA Panel Discussion
Advice to Your Younger Self: Key Learnings from Industry Leaders
Moderated by Dr. John McKeon, President of ASHRAE Ireland Chapter
What do experienced industry leaders wish they had known at the beginning of their careers?
This panel discussion will explore the decisions, challenges and experiences that have shaped their professional lives. Panellists will share reflections on technical development, leadership, career progression and navigating a changing industry.
With Dr. John McKeon as MC and moderator, the session connects the experience of established professionals with the questions and ambitions of the next generation.
Why attend?
- Deepen your technical understanding of water systems, indoor environmental quality and healthier building design.
- Meet an international industry leader, with an opportunity to speak with Bill McQuade during the networking interval.
- Gain practical career perspectives from experienced professionals.
- Build connections across the engineering, building services and wider built environment community.
With thanks to our Event Sponsors:
About Bill McQuade
Bill McQuade, P.E., CDP, Fellow ASHRAE, LEED AP, is Global Vice President and Head of Government Affairs and Sustainability at Baltimore Aircoil Company, with more than three decades of experience in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industry.
He served as ASHRAE Society President for 2025–26, championing the theme Healthy Buildings: Designing for Life and the importance of balancing energy efficiency with indoor environmental quality.
His previous ASHRAE leadership roles include President-Elect, Treasurer, Vice President and Director-at-Large. He holds 22 U.S. and international patents covering chiller design, controls and leak detection for flammable refrigerants, and was selected by the U.S. Department of State and the Environmental Protection Agency to represent industry on the Indo-U.S. Taskforce on Hydrofluorocarbons.
About your host: Dr. John McKeon
President of ASHRAE Ireland Chapter | CEO and Founder, iAIR Health Group
Dr. John McKeon is a physician, entrepreneur and international advocate for healthier indoor environments. As CEO and founder of iAIR Health Group, he leads a multidisciplinary organisation working at the intersection of health, science and the built environment. Through research, certification and education, he collaborates with manufacturers, architects and engineers to translate scientific evidence into practical approaches that support human health and wellbeing.
Trained as an emergency physician and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, John brings a clinical perspective to building performance and indoor environmental quality. His work connects medicine and building science, examining how the environments in which people live, learn and work influence their health.
Alongside his role as President of ASHRAE Ireland Chapter, he serves as a voting member of ASHRAE’s Environmental Health Committee, is a founder member of the ASHRAE Center of Excellence for IEQ, and as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air. He is also Entrepreneur in Residence at Trinity College Dublin’s Centre for Practice and Healthcare Innovation, supporting collaboration between research, healthcare and industry.
As MC and moderator, John will draw on his experience across clinical practice, entrepreneurship and international standards development to guide the evening’s discussion on professional growth, leadership and the future of the built environment.
Attendance and registration
Friday, 13 November 2026 | 4:30–9:00pm
The Dean, 33 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2
Attendance is complimentary. Advance registration is required.
ASHRAE members and non-members are welcome, including students and professionals at every career stage.
The event will be livestreamed to ASHRAE members across Europe.
Agenda
🕑: 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM
Session 1: ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer. Designing for Life: The Role of Wate
🕑: 06:00 PM - 06:30 PM
Break and networking
🕑: 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM
YEA Panel Session - Advice to Your Younger Self
Event venue & nearby stays
The Dean Dublin Centre, 33 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
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