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Story
July 2, 1929
Douglas Daily Dispatch
Douglas, Cochise County, Arizona
What is this article about?
The Union Trust of Detroit installs air conditioning in its new 40-story office building to improve employee health and reduce illness-related absenteeism, viewing it as a worthwhile investment despite added costs, as reported by engineers Hiram L. Walton and Leslie L. Smith.
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OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Cool 40 Floors As Health Investment
LAKE OF BAYS, Ont. (RP)—The unusual experiment of air conditioning a 40-story office building, the Union Trust of Detroit, is described in a report to the American society of heating engineers by Hiram L. Walton and Leslie L. Smith.
Air conditioning means to add to ventilation the cooling of air in the summer, its heating in winter and cleaning it the year round.
"The Trust company," says the report in explaining how this experiment started "had been experiencing an increasing crowded condition in its previous quarters for some time, and their records indicated that the percentage of lost time from illness of employes increased in proportion to the number of employes that were added in any area when only natural means of ventilation were provided."
A ventilating system was decided upon for the new building. It was found that adding air conditioning to this ventilation would cost $23,900 annually. This the Trust company decided to add, and the engineers say of the experiment:
It is not feasible to give a dollars and cents value to the advantages of air conditioning to compare with the additional investment and operating costs. But the company believed that comfort for employes and working conditions that would contribute most to their health and efficiency were considerations that gave the greatest opportunity for returns on any investment that might be made.
LAKE OF BAYS, Ont. (RP)—The unusual experiment of air conditioning a 40-story office building, the Union Trust of Detroit, is described in a report to the American society of heating engineers by Hiram L. Walton and Leslie L. Smith.
Air conditioning means to add to ventilation the cooling of air in the summer, its heating in winter and cleaning it the year round.
"The Trust company," says the report in explaining how this experiment started "had been experiencing an increasing crowded condition in its previous quarters for some time, and their records indicated that the percentage of lost time from illness of employes increased in proportion to the number of employes that were added in any area when only natural means of ventilation were provided."
A ventilating system was decided upon for the new building. It was found that adding air conditioning to this ventilation would cost $23,900 annually. This the Trust company decided to add, and the engineers say of the experiment:
It is not feasible to give a dollars and cents value to the advantages of air conditioning to compare with the additional investment and operating costs. But the company believed that comfort for employes and working conditions that would contribute most to their health and efficiency were considerations that gave the greatest opportunity for returns on any investment that might be made.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
Historical Event
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Triumph
What keywords are associated?
Air Conditioning
Office Building
Employee Health
Ventilation
Detroit
What entities or persons were involved?
Hiram L. Walton
Leslie L. Smith
Union Trust Of Detroit
Where did it happen?
Detroit
Story Details
Key Persons
Hiram L. Walton
Leslie L. Smith
Union Trust Of Detroit
Location
Detroit
Story Details
The Union Trust of Detroit undertakes an unusual experiment by air conditioning its new 40-story office building to enhance employee health and efficiency, reducing illness-related lost time, as detailed in a report by engineers Walton and Smith to the American Society of Heating Engineers.