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Grex > Agora46 > #234: Go placidly amidst the noise and waste, but reconsider it | |
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| Author |
Message |
| 5 new of 21 responses total. |
russ
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response 17 of 21:
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Sep 23 00:41 UTC 2003 |
Re #14: Easily achieved with dimmers on the ceiling lamps
which adjust to maintain light level if e.g. the sky clouds up.
This is off-the-shelf technology, it's in use today.
With all the products out there like Solatubes, it really
amazes me that the commercial market isn't going for them
like crazy. It looks like a huge potential savings; heck,
you could even put Solatubes through existing HVAC roof
penetrations and not even have to worry about new leaks.
How about light shelves? You put a flat white surface by
the window, and it bounces sunlight up and off the ceiling so
you don't need as much electric light. I don't think I've
seen one outside a magazine.
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jaklumen
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response 18 of 21:
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Sep 23 03:37 UTC 2003 |
resp:16 That's not exactly what I said. I said some areas were
pretty dark.
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tod
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response 19 of 21:
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Sep 23 05:05 UTC 2003 |
This response has been erased.
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gull
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response 20 of 21:
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Sep 23 14:51 UTC 2003 |
Re #17: The problem, I think, is that office buildings (at least the
small, one-story type) are often built on spec, so the goal is to put up
the building as cheaply as possible and to allow for the eventual owner
to choose their own internal arrangement. The result is you end up with
a cement-block shell and a flat roof with minimal insulation, dropped
ceilings with fluorescent lights, and modular panel walls or cubical
farms. This is not conducive to giving everyone a window for natural
light, or using skylights and other light sources that are not easily
rearranged. Skylights also have a reputation for leaking and driving up
maintenance costs.
The sheer amount of wasted space in these buildings is stunning.
Popping up a ceiling tile in the one I work in shows nearly enough
wasted vertical space for another story.
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jaklumen
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response 21 of 21:
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Sep 23 21:54 UTC 2003 |
This isn't quite the case-- you'd have to see it... the building was
made in the 1940's, I think.
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