The comfort zone--Academic havens incorporate silent, energy-efficient fans to improve surroundings

摘要

One such student center is the newly remodeled Lavin-Bernick Center on the uptown campus of Tulane University in New Orleans. This city is known for its Old World charm, which often means antiquated heating and cooling systems that are no match for the sweltering heat and humidity. But the environmentally friendly LBC design incorporates natural air and lighting, along with various shading and ventilation, techniques to ventilate and cool the area. Foregoing the installation of a traditional HVAC system, this 151,000-square-foot (14,028-m~2) center incorporates these passive cooling techniques and three 10-foot- (3-m-) diameter, energy-efficient Big Ass Fans, providing a comfortable environment for its 10,000 daily visitors. Relying on their immense size, not speed, the fans-from Big Ass Fans in Lexington, Ky.-effectively circulate air throughout the mezzanine area of LBC, replacing 16 small and inefficient traditional ceiling fans.