The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-01-20
HOMES MINUS
WINDOWS IDEA
IS CONDEMNED
Engineer Holds Radical
Step Unnecessary; Air
Conditioning Cited.

Houses without windows? This
familiar and friendly transmitter
Of light doomed to extinction among
future generations? Such a star
ting evolution in modern home
making, calmly predicted by some,
is dismissed by Elliott Harrington,
General Electric air-conditioning
engineer, as humanely unwelcome
and assuredly improbable.
Sharply diSagreeing with the
views of the "windowless home"
contingent among scientists and en-
gineers, Mr.. Harrington declared
that houses Of that sort, in effect,
would transform America into a
nation of hermits.
If persons can not endure to en-
ter home in which they are COM
pletely shut away from all sight of
the outside world, then the WIN
doW's place in the general scheme
of things will remain secure.
Offers Compromise
Windows are declared by the
radicals" to be the one great OBJ
stacle to ideal air conditioning.
These folk emphasize the situation
on a cold day in winter. Suppose,
they say, the temperature is 26 de-
grees above zero outside. Then the
temperature of a window on the
inside is around 33 degrees, or
slightly above freezing. That WIN
dow means keeping the room a
block of ice just that size-and try
ing to maintain at the same time
something like a summer tempera-
ture with heating.
But listen to Mr.. Harrington's
compromise suggestion. He is no
less eager to see homes provided
with their own Indoor weather"
Indeed, he is at present quartered
with his family in an air. condition
ng "test house" maintained by Gen
eral Electric to study the whole
broad problem.
Mr.. Harrington says:
Let the windows remain, then,
but seal them Theoretically into the
walls. Let them be made in a single
sash. Thus we can eliminate those
troublesome cracks which now
characterize windows. Windows
which never will be opened need,
have no cracks around the sashes.
BY the same token they may consist
of the double-sash type; that is to
say, each window could have a
permanent storm sash, also hermeti-
cally sealed into the wall of the
house.
1--WE must admit, I think" he con-
tinued, that except for purposes of
vision, windows doubtless have lost
their original significance. We no
longer require them strictly for
light. We can obtain better and
more healthy illumination on cloudy
days, such as are frequent in the
winter, through the medium of sun
lamps.
Made to Order Climate
eve can never discard windows
as a means of viewing the world
around us, but, as have suggested,
windows which are permanently
closed are quite sufficient for such
a usage as that--and the practice
will dovetail every nicely into the
enterprise of air conditioning. .
ultimately" he asserted, the
closed-window house and the CEN
trally aforementioned house doubt
less will be simultaneous and sup
Elemental developments. Such
type of residence will become an
ideal little climatic world all by it
self, quite independent of the va
carries of the natural weather, both
as to light. sunshine, temperature,
humidity, wind, bacteria and dirt.
"It long has been realized" he
remarked, that the air is loaded
with dust particles, which are
breathed into the lungs. The slant
ing beam of sunlight, with its float
ing bits of dust, may look pretty
in a picture, but quite likely it will
impart to the human system impu-
rites, SCOT or actual germs.
From this it is apparent, I think,
why houses with permanently closed
windows will aid materially in &C
complishing the perfect air-condi-
toned home, and hence the home
of maximum comfort and health"