Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Monday, August 08, 2005

Las Vegas casinos using oxygenated air

Proper air circulation is vital in all types of buildings. The topic of indoor air quality has made headlines and legislation over the last few years. Attaining that ideal combination of temperature, circulation, and filtration requiresa balancing act of budget, regulations, and the needs of theoccupants. Getting it right makes a big difference. The most recent example of this came to me from a friend who wanted to find out the truth about the kind of air casinos supposedly use to keep people gambling long into the night. She discovered that, while casinos do not pump in oxygenated air (a potential fire hazard), many do use a combination of fresh air circulation and refrigeration to keep visitors feeling alert. No doubt the knowledge that this formula works came from a lab and not a business meeting. Casino design also seems to have taken cues from experiments with mice in mazes. They take a stadium-sized room, build irregular aisles and dead ends with rows of
slot machines, and violá – wide awake people, certain there is a piece of cheese around every corner. The first article in this issue talks about supplying air for both people and mice, and takes an engineer’s look at some new technology.

www.animallab.com