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Conclusions—TEAM 3: Light and Wet |
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Hypothesis #1 "A dome of
cooler more humid air is formed around the fountain in the center of the
Great Hall." |
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| We found this hypothesis to be untrue. Our initial efforts to detect the “cool dome” proved to be fruitless. Neither the HOBO Temp readings from the string above the fountain nor the Kestrel readings from Hofu’s trek across the floor of the Great Hall detected any significant differences in temperature or humidity. However, closer inspection found two significant phenomena on a scale smaller than we had imagined. First, the surface temperature of the fountain was 20ºF cooler than its surroundings so it provides radiant cooling to people who are nearby—the nearer the more effective. Second, a small cone of slightly cooler air in motion (up to 2+ ºF and 2+ mph) was detected near the fountain spray, above the fountain’s surface, and at the fountain’s edge. So our large imagined dome turned out to be a small cone and the cooling sensation near the fountain was primarily radiant and possibly psychological. | ||
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Hypothesis #2 "Daylighting
provides sufficient illumination in the Great Hall." |
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| We found this hypothesis to be true. On this sunny April day between 2 and 3 p.m. the lights on, lights half on measurements were fairly close together, especially in the darker corners of the great hall. In the middle of the space about 100 footcandles were detected. At the edges 10–20 footcandles were present. All of these levels are well above the requirements for save and comfortable navigation of the space. On the issue of quality of light, we issued a collective sigh of relief when half of the lamps were turned off! We sensed that space felt and looked better with less electric illumination. The museum could save significant energy costs for lighting and cooling by using the Great Hall’s daylight exclusively during the bulk of daytime hours, reserving the electrical lights for supplemental lighting (stepped dimming strategy) during dark, stormy weather and evenings. | ||
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| Hypotheses | Findings | Conclusions |