It’s autumn in Chicago. The leaves are turning red and the temperature is comfortable, in the 60s and 70s. People are walking in t-shirts and sandals, relishing the last warm days before wintertime. However, in the Parker building, the cold is already here.
“I remember it was the first day of school, and I wore [a tank top and jean shorts] because it was 85 degrees out,” freshman Ella Rosse said. “I was so cold and literally was shivering the whole day, and I couldn’t even focus on my work because I was so cold.”
The classrooms are the most common examples of mixed temperatures in the building. “Oftentimes, the science rooms are cold, but then on the fourth floor, they’re extremely hot,” Upper School science teacher Ryan Zaremba said. “I teach up in 486, which is Mr. Bigelow’s room, during D period and oftentimes it’s very warm up there. So I go from this really chilly space to this really warm space, and I oftentimes, again, have to plan for that and wear layers.”
Upper School Spanish teacher Liz Villagomez commented on the difference between her room and the hallway. “At the start of the school year my room felt really cold, but when I would walk out into the hallway I was like, oh my God, this is so pleasant. Why isn’t my room feeling like it is out in the hallway?”
But why is the school heated so inconsistently? Parker’s Assistant Director of Facilities, Chris Allen, explained the reasons for these temperature irregularities. “Room temperature depends on different variables, like what is the room used for, occupancy, what we consider the comfort level, et cetera… This can change when we have extreme [cold or hot] weather,” Allen said. “When the outside temperature fluctuates and is not consistent, it becomes difficult for the building to keep up with drastic swings in temperature.”
Allen also mentioned the structural design of the building as a reason for temperature changes. “[Maintaining the temperature is] difficult in certain areas such as the East/West hallway on the second and third floor where we have a lot of windows. [It] will always be difficult to maintain because of the radiant heat in the summer, or when it’s cold [because of] the lack of insulation.”
“Also, some of our equipment is old and it doesn’t always perform to the level of comfort that we want a certain area to be,” Allen said.
So what are Parker students and faculty seeking comfort supposed to do? Allen had some suggestions.“We have over 1000+ people in the building and everyone has a different comfort level. On the Facilities side, we try to work in a reasonable framework for comfort,” Allen said. “What would help [is] if staff and students dress for the weather. Bring a light jacket or sweater in the fall and spring months.”
