*Cue Sara McLachlan’s “Angel” or a David Attenborough narration.
Often unseen by those other than the building manager or maintenance staff, the singular HVAC chair leads a secular life. Often shoved away but almost always worn down, questions emerge as to who occupies you, why is there only one, how long have you been there, and what have you witnessed?
Joking aside, the lonely HVAC chair is representative of just how often service spaces are under-designed by architects particularly for human occupation and access.
While perhaps under designed for human occupation, there is no denying many HVAC and mechanical spaces have undergone an evolution. Certainly, they are reflective of how technology has made strides. With the small sample I’ve provided below, courtesy of a tour taken during a Science and Techbology course at Iowa State, what may not be so succinctly captured in the photos, is as the HVAC and mechanical rooms increase in size they also become more compact in machinery.
Still, these spaces generate a conversations for me intended to be occupied temporarily and how safe are these environments?
I intend to research this topic a bit further and will hopefully add more photos and conclusions. If you have any similar or interesting images please feel free to comment below.
melissajbrooks 