So the building that I work in is considered a “green” building. Designed and built around 20 years ago, it features all kinds of innovative and unique features intended to make it as environmentally friendly as possible. Of course many of those innovative and unique features only had a lifespan of about 3 years, but what’s a few years when the environment is involved right?
Take for example the heating and cooling system… When the building was built way back when, it was built without air conditioning. Instead an innovative system of temperature sensors and automatic skylight and window controls would be used to cool the building and provide airflow… never mind that the system was notorious for opening windows and skylights in the pouring rain and at other opportune moments. After 15 years it was realized that the natural system just wasn’t up to the task of cooling the building with the large number of computers that are now housed in it and air conditioning was put in. But since the building wasn’t designed to have A/C in the first place, it’s not uncommon for some rooms to freeze and others to roast in the summer.
There’s a similar effect in the winter, and as the building manager tells us on a regular basis space heaters just magnify the problem. Not that anybody listens mind you, we have a ton of “illicit” space heaters in use throughout the building…
With the latest bout of rain we’ve had, leaks have no become a big probem too… As a result the building manager sent the following e-mail out to everybody in the building:
I can change the temperature however I cannot stop the precipitation. The LH74 building is a green building, meaning that it designed to be environmentally friendly. This building is so eco-friendly that it brings the rain right into your classrooms. There is nothing more relaxing then the cleansing feeling of rainstorm.
