2008 Woodie Awards
Maria Hall to have central air
By: Angela Riley
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: News
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When students move in to the newly renovated Maria Hall next fall, they can enjoy an amenity that no previous Maria Hall residents have experienced: central heating and cooling.
The decision to add central air in the dormitory was made with the decision to remodel Maria Hall.
"There is an expectation for students to have a comfortable place to live," said John Buck, associate dean of students and director of Residential Life. "St. Louis can be hot, and (air conditioning) is an amenity that we have to have. It wasn't much of a consideration on our part. We made room in the budget for it."
Looking at college construction trends across the country, there aren't any new dorms that don't have air-conditioning, Buck said. Students have come to expect it.
David Stone, director of Facilities Planning and Management, agreed with Buck.
"We can't market rooms without air," Stone said.
After its renovation, Maria Hall would resemble the suite style rooms in West Hall. The process of installing the central air would not involve creating duct work because the systems do not use air ducts to distribute the air like the central air set up in a person's home.
Instead, the systems use pipes to distribute hot or cold water to heat exchanger coils in each unit (one unit will be located in each suite), which will heat or cool the air to the desired temperature, Stone said.
The system would have a higher startup cost than the installation of individual wall units, but Stone believes central air will be cheaper in the long run.
"It's going to be more expensive at first, but we'll be saving a lot of money in the future," Stone said. "The operating cost is much lower with central air. It takes half as much electricity to operate than a window unit. (Window units) require a lot of maintenance and die within four to six years. We don't want anything short-lived."
In addition to central air, windows and window screens in Maria Hall will be replaced to help provide better insulation to the rooms, which can be drafty.
The decision to add central air in the dormitory was made with the decision to remodel Maria Hall.
"There is an expectation for students to have a comfortable place to live," said John Buck, associate dean of students and director of Residential Life. "St. Louis can be hot, and (air conditioning) is an amenity that we have to have. It wasn't much of a consideration on our part. We made room in the budget for it."
Looking at college construction trends across the country, there aren't any new dorms that don't have air-conditioning, Buck said. Students have come to expect it.
David Stone, director of Facilities Planning and Management, agreed with Buck.
"We can't market rooms without air," Stone said.
After its renovation, Maria Hall would resemble the suite style rooms in West Hall. The process of installing the central air would not involve creating duct work because the systems do not use air ducts to distribute the air like the central air set up in a person's home.
Instead, the systems use pipes to distribute hot or cold water to heat exchanger coils in each unit (one unit will be located in each suite), which will heat or cool the air to the desired temperature, Stone said.
The system would have a higher startup cost than the installation of individual wall units, but Stone believes central air will be cheaper in the long run.
"It's going to be more expensive at first, but we'll be saving a lot of money in the future," Stone said. "The operating cost is much lower with central air. It takes half as much electricity to operate than a window unit. (Window units) require a lot of maintenance and die within four to six years. We don't want anything short-lived."
In addition to central air, windows and window screens in Maria Hall will be replaced to help provide better insulation to the rooms, which can be drafty.
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