COURSE DESCRIPTION: When Hurricane Sandy made landfall in October of 2012, more than 186 people were killed, over 600,000 homes were damaged, and infrastructure was devastated across New York State. During the “Snowvember” storm in November 2014, 70+ inches of snow fell in Western New York, causing 14 fatalities, and numerous roofs to collapse. These two events suggest that building design in New York needs to shift to address varying weather patterns caused by climate change.

This course will draw together students from the University at Buffalo and practitioners from the Northeast and Great Lakes regions to review climate resilience strategies applicable to buildings in New York State. The class will also share the results of recent research conducted by the University at Buffalo, L&S Energy Services, and Weather Analytics; the work was supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).