ASHRAE will hold a “mini conference” on issues that concern tall buildings during its January winter meeting in New York City.

“What better place to showcase tall building design than in New York,” said Jon Cohen, conference program chairman. “Designing buildings with contingencies for natural disasters will benefit engineers worldwide. We should learn from how buildings respond to the disasters, and use this information to our advantage to save lives and infrastructure in the future. Environmental quality in buildings isn't just a health concern; it's a concern of the conscience. We need to do everything to ensure healthy work environments and living situations while considering the broader environmental impact.”

Sessions at the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers mini conference will include discussions on safety, natural ventilation and data center controls. The full agenda is at www.ashrae.org/newyork.

The society’s winter meeting will take place Jan. 18-22 at the New York Hilton. The annual AHR Expo, which is held on conjunction with the event, will take place Jan. 21-23.