The One With Mechanical Systems

             Today we stayed rather close to home and took our second tour of THBH. However, the purpose of this tour was a little different than the last tour we took. Instead of looking at the symbolism in the architecture of THBH, we looked at how the Architect was able to bring function to form when it comes to the mechanical systems needed to keep THBH running. We started discussing the importance of Abbott, which we learned on our tour there two weeks ago, and how Abbott is responsible for all of the heating taking place on our campus. We also discussed again how our source of heat is fairly unique as we use steam to heat our buildings.
            One of the very unique things about THBH is the openness of all systems that work together to make THBH the great building it is. While we were unable to gain access into the depths of the mechanical rooms, we were still able to see a great deal of function of THBH as the function is built into the form. We started on the first floor where we saw two very large tubes that transport air into and out of the building. As one tubes pumps air into the offices and many rooms of the building, the other tube takes the air back to be recycled. You can see this emphasis of the function of the building from the west side. As the tube, which is fully visible from the outside, gets smaller to force out more air, the roof slightly slants down to emphasize the importance of this function.
           As we toured, we were able to see the water pipes, the electric lines, and the storm drains as well. The most interesting part was watching how the design of the rooms and the walls emphasized the importance of all the mechanical systems. On the far east side of the building, the glass panes above the doors have cutouts in them the size of the air tube, allowing for it to fit perfectly through and continue to pump air into the building. On the west side, every other office has a widened wall to allow for the air to be pumped down to the lower floors. Each office has a branch from this "trunk" to bring air into each room. Overall, the trip opened my eyes to the importance of the mechanical systems of each building. Most systems have their own wiring allowing them to work when others can't. The architect of THBH really emphasized this idea in the entire structure.