VENTILATION.

Press, 1 February 1930, Page 16

VENTILATION.

FRESH AIR IN THEATRES AND HALLS.

ADDRESS BY MR G. \\. DAVIES

Factors in the estimation of the proper ventilation of public buildings were dealt with by Mr G. W. Da vies, of Dunedin (member of the Institute of Ventilating and Heating Engineers, England and America), in an address at the Sanitary Inspectors' refresher course last evening. Dr. T. Fletcher Telford, Medical Officer of Health for Christchurch, presided. Mr Davies spoke of the utmost, importance in arriving at the correctness or otherwise of the physical condition of the air in any building where people .congregated. The attempt to enforce healthful air conditions in halls, theatres, factories, etc., by Health Officers or factory inspectors, had hitherto been fraught with difficulties, and an anomalous position had, on several occasions arisen from Court prosecutions in this respect for infringement of the Health or Factories Acts. Anyone who studied the art of heating and ventilation would soon discover that authorities could be quoted in support of, and in opposition to, every form of ventilation and heating known to man, and unless something more tangible than tho quoting of an authority could be produced by a Health Inspector, the handicaps of the past would continue. Natural ventilation was not a very satisfactory method of ventilating halls or theatres. Cross ventilation was rarely possible, owing to the proximity of the theatre to adjoining buildings. In close, muggy weather, natural ventilation induced little air movement within the. building. The term "mechanical ventilation" applied generally to all systems where fans were used either for extracting or delivering the air to procure ventilation. The distinct advantage of mechanical ventilation was that a definite amount of air might be handled, extracted, delivered, warmed, humidified, filtered, and dealt with in any manner without dependence upon the atmospheric conditions which might prevail. There was not the slightest doubt that the ventilation provided in a great number of halls and theatres in the Dominion was quitp inadequate to promote comfortable and healthful air conditions. That insufficient attention had been paid to ventilation of theatres in the Dominion could not be denied. Many thousands of pounds were spent yearly in interior dei-oration, but with due respect to modern archil -ture, furnishings, and decoration there was nothing so inviting to the theatre-going public as fresh, invigorating atmosphere. The fact was being recognised by the designers of large auditoriums in Australia, and in every modern theatre mechanical heating and ventilating apparatus were installed with adequate means for freshening the air. Several questions were answered and Mr Davies was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.