Thermal Storage Retrofit Takes a Byte Out of Computer Cooling Demands
The Harold Washington Building in Chicago's central business district was built in the midst of the energy crisis that gripped the United States in the 1970s, and some of the unique approaches taken to its original hvac system reflect that fact.
The 10-story, 790,000-sq-ft building was built with electricity driving its hvac system. An electric heat pump system used the interior heat from the building to heat its skin, or the exterior 12 ft of the building, and electric boilers augmented the heat pumping cycle when outside temperatures dropped below 20 degrees F.