Administration Studies Ways To Better Holyoke Air Quality

Harvard Real Esate (HRE) and the construction management division of the Harvard Planning Office are studying possible renovations to Holyoke Center that will improve internal air quality by correcting ventilation problems.

The departments commissioned the study to examine the structural problems of the Holyoke Center fans and curtain walls. The survey of the walls will aid in determining the building's energy efficiency, Sally Zeckhauser, president of HRE, said.

The Ehrenkrantz Group of New York City, which is conducting the study, will examine the energy efficiency and con-currently the air circulation since the two affect each other, she added.

After the Ehrenkrantz Group completes the survey this year, HRE and the management division will ask the University to appropriate funds to begin construction, Zeckhauser said. Until they make the renovations, HRE will rely on a "preventative maintenance program" of replacing air filters.

Circulation

Harvard employees working in Holyoke Center have complained that lack of air circulation causes discomfort and health problems. Past renovations to Holyoke Center, which changed the internal structure of the building without changing the ventilation system, produced an "unbalanced air flow," Zeckhauser said.

Renovators partitioned larger offices to make room for more employees without considering air circulation.

Holyoke Center building manager David Zewinski said the intake of polluted air at street level is also part of the problem. Because of the construction in Harvard Square and automobile fumes, "contaminants are pulled into the system," he added.

Employees have complained of nosebleeds and strained breathing. Holyoke Center's sealed windows stop them from getting fresh air, so many employees rely on electric fans to improve ventilation.

"The combination of the dry, stale air with cigarette smoke makes breathing really hard," Janelle Pierret, who works in the Student Loan office, said.

Another employee added that because "there are more people in this place than it was designed to hold," the ventilation system is causing "a lot of discomfort."