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I hate those automated systems. The company i work for moved to a new building about a year ago, and all the curtains and lights are automated. Not surprisingl
by diffuse_l 7y ago
I hate those automated systems.
The company i work for moved to a new building about a year ago, and all the curtains and lights are automated.
Not surprisingly, the lights are too bright, and there is no way to control the light levels manually.
I asked the maintanace crew to lower the light intensity. After a full day of fiddling with the system, they managed to somewhat dim the lights, which reverted back to full on blast aftet a few minutes.
Having anticipated that, I built a "complex" system of shades using papers and masking tape, which somehow survived to this day.
The best part? The desginers of the office come to show their creation to potenial customers every few weeks and show off thier marvelous design. A classic case of "You are not the customer".
And that without even going into the "automatic shading system" which opens the curtains at the worst possible moment, and can't be changed because "we need it that way for our green certfication".
Sorry, had to vent off...
- ourlordcaffeine 7y agoOur office is marketed as 24/7 operation. We needed our office manned 7 days a week 5am-11pm, so it seemed like a good fit, only building management turn off climate control during the weekend, causing the temperature in the office to rocket up to unbearable levels. Their explanation was that they had to turn it off at the weekend to keep their green credentials.
- mabbo 7y agoFunny how the person paying the electricity bill always gets so concerned with their "green certification". Hint: there isn't any green certification that can be revoked, afaik. The big standard I often see is "LEED", but if you check them out, once a building gets LEED certified (at the design stage) you could literally build anything and there is no mechanism to remove that certification in your building.
- ourlordcaffeine 7y agoUnited Kingdom, not USA so maybe it's different
- ZeroGravitas 7y agoSomething about the way these anecdotes are told often seems to suggest "hah, aren't green regulations stupid" but the message I take is more "modern capitalist organisations can't even get basic things right when given incentives to do so". Bit of a Rorschach test depending on your preconceived notions I guess, though I've always thought of myself as pro-market and these stories make me question that.
- diffuse_l 7y agoAs I see it, these aren't green regulations at all. As mabbo mentions, there is no conformance enforcement after the design stage, and the whole thing feels like it being used for self-advertisment instead of actually being "green".
- diffuse_l 7y agoThe "green" is in quotes here, because the building office is basically a greenhouse (glass facade from all sides) in a hot climate where air conditioning is needed most of the year.
- mixmastamyk 7y agoAnother thing that sucks is that offices refuse to let in fresh air. Even in a warm climate the outside is often cooler than a closed up greenhouse with equipment running.
- ourlordcaffeine 7y agoI don't think they are stupid, I am just annoyed that the building management basically lied when they said "24-7" office.
- dmurray 7y ago> Not surprisingly, the lights are too bright, and there is no way to control the light levels manually. That is surprising. Modern "smart" "technological" "green" buildings seem to be way too dim, as if lighting intensity is really a major contributor to energy use. Sure, your eyes adjust, but we evolved to live outdoors on the African savannah all day.
- hateful 7y agoSame thing in our new building. They lower it for a few moments, then full blast. I wear blue blockers for more than just my screen these days. The other issue - my boss has his own lamps in his office and keeps the room light off. But it goes on every time someone walks by his office - though it's not triggered inside the office.