Glean the wisdom in an assortment of key process and specification considerations by looking at design through the lens of one university’s Special Collections & Archives project.
A higher education campus presents an extensive amount of variables that can drastically impact the requirements of the indoor environment. These campuses are made up of various facilities and can include classrooms, housing, laboratories, food service, libraries, administration, recreation centers, and data centers, among others. Each one has unique conditions the designer needs to address when establishing project requirements.
Dehumidification will play a major role in the system’s ability to maintain the proper indoor environment. The capabilities and operation of each campus differs and the needs of all the stakeholders must be taken into account when determining the appropriate method to introduce and control dehumidification into the HVAC system. This article will present a case study for an archive room at a university’s library in southern California, offering an example of design and operation considerations for a critical indoor environment on a campus setting. The lessons learned for this type of space can easily be adapted to less critical spaces.