from Metropolis
How Buildings Breathe
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Some interesting development in how buildings can be ventilated by harnessing the natural phenomena of air circulation and behaviour. An understanding of such a technology would be of tremendous benefit to museums, especially when a major expense of most museums is the utilities bill associated with the 24-hour control of the display and storage environments. Two particular ideas stand out - the "floor-up" method of cooling the air (as opposed to the conventional "ceiling-down" cooling); and the "enthalpy wheel" to pre-condition humid air, hence reducing actual cooling load (translating to a smaller air-conditioning system) and energy consumption.