The Heat Wave and Old Buildings

Before work today I zipped into Logan Airport to pickup someone arriving from Florida. My passenger reported that the temperature in Orlando this morning was at least 10 degrees cooler than it was in Boston. Here in Lowell, the courthouse remains comfortable despite the 18 foot ceilings and lack of central air conditioning. The scattered window units are keeping the inside temperature tolerable although that might change by the end of the day.

A few years ago I read an "air quality" study of this building and was pleased and surprised to discover the sophisticated air exchange system that was included in the building's 1894 design. Every interior door has a functioning transom above it. By opening the transom, warm air that rises to the ceiling flows out of the room even when the door is shut. This in turn draws fresh air in through open windows or, if windows are closed, through the small openings that occur when 19th century windows sit within their frames. Add to this the three story atrium at the center of the building with roof vents at the top and you have a very effective ventilation system that works entirely on its own. Unfortunately, "modern" additions to the building have altered or sealed up the components of this ventilation system, so it probably worked better in 1910 than it does in 2010.