The effects of climate change on building design will be explored at a 1:30 p.m. Sunday seminar during ASHRAE’s winter meeting.

“Engineering our Cities to Meet and Beat the Challenges of Climate Change,” is part of a number of sessions the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers have planned that deal with international design issues.

The session will take place at the New York Hilton.

“The engineering, landscaping, and building communities are in an ideal position to reduce the impact of cities on climate as well as creating and operating safe and effective cities in future climates that are likely to be 2°C warmer than today,” said seminar chairman Tim Dwyer of the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies at University College London. “Our speakers consider how climate change will impact the HVAC and R professional, how systems are already failing to meet demands of a warming climate, and the impact that increasingly challenging environment has on air-conditioning systems. It concludes by considering the status of cities and why the fifth international law is needed to halt core causes of climate change.”

The full conference agenda is available at www.ashrae.org/newyork.