Current mood:

recumbent

Science, architecture, and a fast buck!
rant

I like sash windows.

I like that they were apparently invented by that fine gentleman of science, Robert Hooke, back in the 17th century. They are easy to operate, ventilate rooms efficiently, last for generations if well-made, and are easy to clean.

So, what do we do in our institutional buildings? Nail them shut, and install air conditioning units, which are expensive to buy and fit, expensive to run, have a far shorter life-span, are hell to clean, and create an atmosphere as pleasant as a soggy cracker...at best.

Sure, if you live in a hot climate, air conditioning is a boon, though some of the Roman and Persian technologies seem more elegant and efficient. And if you really must have a tower block, then opening a window for ventilation doesn't work once you get high up, but tower blocks are a pretty silly design from the point of view of psychological well-being, community, etc.

To be honest I'm also tempted to put the boot into the use of steel-framed buildings outside of earthquake zones, but that's just about cheap, short-lived buildings designed, and, more importantly, paid for, by people who think of buildings as disposable, rather than reusable.

Pah, morons!

P.S. They laughed at me in Frankfurt! (I didn't get to Heidelberg.)

/rant