Stars of Our Community: Liam Buckley
Posted by StarChapter on Nov. 1, 2024 / Member Spotlight / Subscribe 0
Meet our featured member, Liam Buckley, an accomplished engineer, educator, and technologist dedicated to advancing technology-driven decarbonization in the built environment. Currently serving as a business strategist and team leader at IES Ltd. in North America, he spearheads a talented team committed to delivering innovative software solutions tailored for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry.
With a strong technical focus, his interests span a variety of areas including Building Performance Modeling (BPM), HVAC systems, daylight simulation, lighting design, decarbonization modeling, water efficiency, CFD airflow simulation, and performance-based building energy code compliance, adhering to standards such as ASHRAE 90.1, Title 24, IECC, and NECB.
How long have you been involved with ASHRAE in years? Describe the roles or capacities in which you are involved with ASHRAE.
Since ~2008, so 16 years. Today, I have a few different roles with ASHRAE:
• Voting Member for TC 4.1 Load Calculation Data and Procedures
• Member for TC 4.7 Energy Calculations
• Designated Reviewer for ASHRAE 90.1 ECB Subcommittee
• Student Branch Advisor – San Francisco State University
• Repeat presenter/sponsor/attendee at annual ASHRAE Conferences.
If you had to describe the ASHRAE community in three words, what would they be?
Welcoming, Innovative, Humble
What has been your favorite ASHRAE memory, event, or experience, and why?
Too many to mention! The most gratifying experience is seeing my students from San Francisco State University get jobs in the local ASHRAE chapters. A huge THANK YOU to all of you who have been hiring the students from SF State that have taken our ‘Principles of HVAC’ undergrad, or ‘Energy Efficiency in Buildings’ postgrad classes! The 2014 CIBSE-ASHRAE Conference in my hometown of Dublin, Ireland was a special event too.
How has your involvement with ASHRAE influenced your career and personal growth?
In the early 2010s, I was co-teaching ASHRAE’s Building Energy Modeling Fundamentals and Applications course. This involved travel to far-reaching places like Hawaii for the US Army Corps of Engineers and the ASHRAE Puerto Rico chapter. I love to teach BEM, and when travelling to new places, it forced me to understand unique nuances about regional cultures, local Climate Zones & microclimates, limited design practices and requirements. I carry this ‘All Climates & All Buildings’ mantra into the design of our Building Performance Modeling tools to this day. My career at IES and affiliation with ASHRAE has given me a privilege to travel for Conferences, Expos, Technical Committee meetings, Trainings, CRCs, Building Tours, and Competitions.
Do you hold any ASHRAE or other professional certifications/licenses? If so, how have they benefited your career?
Yes, I hold the ASHRAE BEMP (Building Energy Modeling Professional) certification. I am a Chartered Engineer (PE equivalent) in Ireland, though I have little use for it these days, seeing as the San Francisco Bay Area is my home now. ASHRAE certifications have been useful to understand the perspectives of various design engineers and those creating the exams. With my current role at IES Ltd., we try to enable those credentialed professionals with software tools to automate solutions for those common performance-based industry tasks.
What initially drew you to ASHRAE, and what has kept you engaged over the years?
When living in Ireland in 2008, I was tasked to learn how to apply ASHRAE Standard 90.1 & 62.1 to a large LEED project. At the time, I had no idea what I was in for. These printed ASHRAE Standard traveled with me everywhere and lived under my pillow. Fun times! Years later, my team at IES is still automating various ASHRAE Standards requirements & methods into our modeling software tools. So long as ASHRAE Standards continually evolve, I will happily remain forever-engaged with ASHRAE.
Where do you see the industry heading in the next 5-10 years, and what developments are you most excited about?
The trend towards electrification & decarbonization of the built environment is both exciting and daunting. I’m excited that ASHRAE’s famous 90.1 Energy Standard for Buildings has expanded its domain to “Sites and Buildings” and references Carbon. However, we have many problems to solve; utility costs, water-energy nexus, energy storage, confusing metrics, imperfect performance methods, resiliency, air-quality and much more. Luckily, ASHRAE’s expert membership is best positioned to solve these industry problems.
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