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FD 03!. 183 EF 001 503

AUTHOR' Spraaue, qeorge W. TITLE Operational Management of Area Environment. INSTITUTION Honeywell, Minneapolis, Minn. PUB r601 NOTE 1710.

FDPS PRTCF 'DRS Price MF-S0.25 HC -50.9F DPgCRTIDTOPS *Building Eauipment, Climate Control, *Controlled Environment, 7lectronic Eauipment, Equipment, Heating, *Mechanical Equipment

ABSTRACT Three phases leading to the automation of the mechanical building systems on the Harvard campus are described. The systems allow a single operator to monitor and control all the mechanical systems, plus fire, flood, and security alarms, for all huildinas in a large area of the campus. NT) OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT OFAREA ENVIRONMENT

BY

GEORGE W. SPRAGUE, PE

COMMERCIAL CONTROLS DIVISION

HONEYWELL INC.

EDUCATION d WELFARE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, OFFICE Of EDUCATION

REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVEDFROM THE THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS PERSON OR ORGANIZATIONORIGINATING IT, REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OFEDUCATION STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY POSITION OR POLICY, Motivation for Centralized Control

Like most universities and colleges, has been faced with accepting its share of projected growth in enrollment.On the

national level, growth is expected to go from two and one half million

students in 1950 to a projected enrollment of nearly 7 million by 1970.

To meet the growth challenge, the university undertook an eighty million

dollar building program.

With such a program in mind, the buildings and grounds department re-

appraised their operational and maintenance methods and costs and, as

a result, set up a test area in their North Yard.

(Refer to Fig. 1 - map of Harvard University and -

following page.)

Phase I - North Yard - The Problem

The North Yard of Harvard consists of a complex of sixty, -six buildings,

the structures ranging from large auditoriums, a theater, gymnasiums, law

school buildings and libraries, biology buildings, theological buildings,

chemistry and engineering laboratories, dormitories, museums, and atomic

energy research complexes. Some buildings are quite new, some have been

in service for more than one hundred years.

Fifteen men were operating the mechanical systems within these buildings;

nine on the day shift, three each on the late afternoon and 11 P. 14. to

7 A. 14. shifts. HARVARD BUILDINGS STREET DIRECTORY

133 Howard St. DO Faculty Club C4 Morgan Hall Acacia St. Howland St. DI Farlow House C4 Morris House Adams Ter. D3 01 5 Felton St. D3 78 Mt. Auburn St. Akron St. CO Hudson St. Al Fogg Art Museum C3 Mower Hall Anderson Bridge BS Huron Ave. )33 10 Frisbie Pl. C2 Music Lib. Appian Way Irving St. D2 Arrow St. C4 D3 Gallatin Hall 136 Newell Boat House Ash St. H3 Irving Ter. 113 Gannett House: C3 New Lecture Hall Ash St. P1. 133 C2 Nuclear Lab. D3 ames St. Gibbs. Lab. Ashton Pl. Jay St. D8 Class Hall 135 Athens St. CS Cordon McKay Lab. C3 Observatory Athens Ter. CS DI Core Hall CS Avon St. B1 Kent Ct. DI Grad. Commons C2 Paine Hall Kent St. Palfrey House CO Kinnaird St. DS Grays Hall C Ballard St. Kirkland Pl. D2 Greenough 114 D4 Peabody House Bancroft St. D O D3 Cr. Sch. of Design C3 Peabody Museum Banks St. CS Kirkland Rd. Pennypacker Hall DS Kirkland St. C3 Cr. Sch. of Education C3 Bay St. DI Cr. Sch. of Pub. Adm. C3 Perkins Hull Beacon St. 132 Phillips Brooks House Bennett St. 134 Lan don St. Physics Labs. A2 Linden St. C4 Hamilton Hall BS Berkeley Pl. Linnaean St. Harvard Hull C3 Pierce Hall Berkeley St. 132 A3 Harvard Union C4 8 Prescott St. Blackstone St. CO Longfellow Pk. Hastings Hall C2 President's House Bond St. Al CS Health Ctr. C4 Press Bow St. C4 McCarthy Rd. Hemenway Cyrn C3 Prince House Boyle Ter. Al Printing Office BS Madison St. A I Herbarium C2 Boylston St. Magee St. D O Hicks House 114 Purchasing Agent Bradbury St. A3 A3 Martin St. B1 Holden Chanel C3 Brattle St. 113 Hollis Hall C3 Quincy House Brewer St. B4 Mason St. C3 Mass. Ave. to MIT C4 Holmes Ha 1i C2 Broadway 112 /to !worthy Hall C3 Randall Hall Brown St. A3 Mass. Ave. to Arl. Randolph Hall A2 Mellen St. CI Holyoke House C4 Buckingham Pl. BS Houghton Lib. C4 Richards Hall Buckingham St. A Memorial Drive Robinson Hall Mercer Cir. A3 Hunt Hall C3 Burns Ct. A3 B4 Hurlbut Hall D4 R.O.T.C. Bldg. Mifflin Pl. Callender St. D O Mill St.. CS 3 Sacramento St. C3 Montague St. D O I.A.B. C4 Sanders Theatre Cambridge St. Mt. Auburn Pl. B4 Int. Legal Studies C2 Carver St. C4 Sargent Hall Centre St. D5 Mt. Auburn St. Semitic Museum Museum St. DI Jefferson Lab. C2 Chapman Pl. B4 Senior House 112 Jewett House D2 Chauncy St. 116 Service Bldgs. 113 North Harvard St. Sever Hall Church St. Nutting Rd. BS Kendall House C2 Cleveland St. D4 Sever Quad. 113 134 Shannon Hall Common C2 Concord Ave. 112 Oxford St. 7 Kirkland St. C3 Shaw Hall C Kittiedge Hall Al Sherman Hall Cowperthwaite St. Palmer St. B3 Kresge Hall C6 Craigie Cir. A2 A2 Smith titans Craigie St. A2 Parker St. Spaulding House Cl Phillips Pl. 133 Lamont Lib. C4 Squash Ct. House Crescent St. Plympton St. C4 Lampoon C4 Squash Ct. Univ. Porter Pl. A3 Duna St. Length. II Hull C2 Stadium CS Prescott St. D4 Law School C2 Standish Hall De Wolfe St. Putnam Ave. DS Law Sch. Adm. Off. C Story Hall Divinity Ave. C2 Lawrence Hall C3 Stoughton Hall Dunster St. C4 Quincy St. C4 Lehman Hall C4 Straus Hall C5 Student Act. Ctr. Eliot St. B4" Raymond St. B1 Lionel Hall C3 Switch House Ellery St. D4 `Remington St. D4 Littauer Ctr. C3 Elmer St. C6 Revere Pl. Little Hall C4 TelephoneUniv. Eustis St. CI Riverside Pl. C8 C4 Tennis Courts Everett St. C2 Robinson St. Al Lyman Lab. C2 Thayer Hall Ross St. B4 Farrar St. University Hall Rutland St. B1 McCulloch Hall 136 Funvell Pl. B8 McKlintock Hall C5 Varsity Club Felton St. D3 Sacramento St. 0 Cl Fernald Dr. Al St. John's Rd. 11 Mail C3 Wadsworth House Flagg St. C5 Scott St. D2 Mallinckrodt C2 Warren House Fallen St. B2 Shepard St. 131 Hall C3 Watson Hockey Rink Francis Ave. D2 Soldiers Field Rd. BS 1583 Mass. Ave. C2 Weld Boat Hausa Franklin St. D5 Sparks St. A3 Mather Hall C5 Weld Hall Fuller Pl. 133 Sterling St. CO Matthews Hall C3 Westengard House Story St. 134 Mellon Hall B5 Widener Lib. Carden St. 132 Sumner Rd. D3 Memorial Church C3 Wigglesworth Hall Carden Ter. A I Surrey St. CS 888 Memorial Drive C8 Wm. James Hall Gerry St. 114 917 Memorial Drive C8 Gilmore St. D6 Trowbridge Pl. D4 Memorial Hall C3 Gorham St. CI Trowbridge St. D4 Mid-Year House B5 Yenching Lib. Grant St. CS Cray Gardens West Al University Rd. 134 Green St. DS RADCLIFFE BUILDINGS Ware St. Hancock St. D6 Walker Ct. DS Agassiz House B3 Greenleaf Hammond St. CI Walker Pl. 2 Gymnasium Harvard Sq. C4 Walker St. /32-B131 Barnard Hall 111 Harvard St. D4 Walker Ter. 112 Bertram Hall B1 Health Ctr. Hastings Ave. 112 Warren Pl. CS Briggs Hall 131 Holmes Hall Hawthorne St. Waterhouse St. )12 Buckingham B3 A3 Hayes St. D O Weeks Mem. Bridge C5 Byer ly Hall 133 Library Healey St. A2 Wendell St. CI Longfellow Hall 133 Western Ave. 110 Cabot Hall B1 Hilliard Pl. Hilliard St. 113 Willard Ct. A3 Coggeshall House Moors Hall Holden St. D2 Willard St. A3 12. Walker St. 112 Holly Ave. Winthrop St. C4 Comstock Hall 131 Al Putnam House Holyoke St. C4 Wright St. 111 &Wands House Al Eliot Hall Rogers House Everett House 131 Saville House HARVARD BUILDINGS Fay House B3 Shop Adams House C4 1748 Camb. St. D3 Field House Al Advocate 1)4 1750 Camb. St. D3 Fifty-five Garden St. Tennis Cts. Agnssiz Museum C2 Carey Cage B5 Founders House 13B13 Tutorial Aldrich Hall 118 Cruft Research Lab. C2 Burr C3 Chase Hall 118 Gilman llouse 111 Whitman Hall Alumni Ctr. (Business) 115 Chemical Labs. C2 Grad. Center B3 Wyeth Hall Alumni Records C4 Cleverly Hall C4 Ames Hall C2 Comparative Zoology Mus. C2 Andover Hall D2 Computation Lab, C2 PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PLACES Anechoic Lab. C2 Conant Hall C2 Apley Court C4 Convene Chem. Lab. C2 Agassiz School Cl First Unit. Church Appleton Chid, C3 Coolidge Lab. C2 Ambassador Hotel D3 Friends Meeting House Aptborp House C4 Crimson C4 Athletic Dept. 114 Baptist Church C4 Harvard Trust Austin Hall C3 Dana-Palmer House C4 Wattle !louse 114 Hotel Commander Dane Hall C2 Braltle Theatre 134 Hotel Continental Baker Library 136 Dean's Ho. BusinessSob. 116 Batchelder House C3 Dillon Field Ho, B5 Cambridge Trust C4 International Stud. Ott. Biological Labs C2 2 Divinity Ave. D2 Christ Church B3 9 Bow St. Leslie College C4 Divinity Hall C2 Church of Christ Scientist 112 Boylston Hall C4 Divinity School D2 Church of New Jerusalem D3 Longy School of Music Dudley Hall Coop C4 Lutheran Church Briggs Cage 135 C4 473 Broadway D3 Dunbar Lab. C2 Coop Annex 134 CS Craigie-Longfellow House A3 Mormon Church Bryan Hall 134 Buildings & Grounds AO 115 Episcopal The& School 133 N. E. Deposit Library Busch - Reisinger MuseumC3 Emerson Hall C4 Epworth M.E. Church C2 Business Sch. Pkg. Lot St. Paul's Cath. Church /30 Engineering Lab. C2 Fire Station C3 St. Veters Cath, Church First Cong. Chinch /33 Soldiers Field HARVARD UNIVERSITY

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"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS Trc& COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED Motet 4)esAlactiters e.4.44:5Acooclilot44.iEFQ BY c4t_.,(AEjt1 ei(A.3 Figure 1 ik Harvard. Colowz EDUCATION. FURTHER REPRODUCTION OUTSIDE 144-C CAP 41.4".( ACC uttlE,-4, TO ERIC AND ORGANIZATIONS OPERTING THE ERIC SYSTEM REQUIRES PERMISSION OF k ctde: b4CK s it a UNDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE U.S. OFFICE Of THE COPYRIGHT OWNER." These men regularly made at least two trips per shift through these buildings, their function being to start and stop odd-hour equipment

that could not be operated by time clocks, to check temperatures and

pressures and to know generally that all was well with the mechanical

plant. The day shift covered oiling, changing filters and minor main-

tenance as well. Major maintenance was handled by a separate service

group.

The University in late 1959 decided to consider automation as a means

of using existing operating personnel to better advantage rather than

hiring more men to meet the building expansion requirements.

Automation for the North Yard area required a system capable of activat-

ing up to five hundred mechanical devices, such as motors for compressors,

pumps and fans, or, for opening and closing valves, or checking pressures,

or operating flood control equipment and other similar mechanisms. Such

a system must be capable of monitoring five 1undred temperature points

from locations as much as one half a mile distan.The system must also

provide means for listening to equipment operation, especially on start-

ups of large fans, absorption machines and compressors, etc. The automation

would have to include alarm provision for critical equipment controlling

laboratory temperatures, culture rooms, low temperature boxes, humidity in

rare book libraries and manuscript areas, for security, flood alarms and

for fire.

Human engineering for such a plan of operation became an important con-

sideration. On the basis of the above requirements, a conventional system for ceztralized control would have necessitated a panel board approximately sixty feet long. To operate such a board would keep a man constantly on his feet. The operator would soon tire from searching for identifi- cation of buttons, lights, schematics and all of the other equipment such an arrangement would present.In addition, the amount of wiring needed to bring all this information to its proper destination would have become staggering to the imagination and impractical.

The Solution

The system developed affords the operator ease of operation both physically and mentally. It is called a Selectographic System.

W

Figure 2

Figure 2 shows an operator at the Selectographic console. From a seated position, be confronts but one system problem at a time; heneither has to reach nor strain to operate or check out any oneof fifty systems.

Simply stated, the Selectographic Console consists of fifty systems-select buttons (per system), ten star;: -stop buttons, eleven temperature-check buttons, provision for intercom, alarm lights and buzzers, a view screen,

a temperature indicator and apilot-light test switch.Other items such

as a clock and plug jacks for systemsrecorders are also used. From this

Selectographic Console one operator can cover all the need for starting

and stopping odd hour equipment not controlled from a time clock and check

temperatures and pressures for the entire sixty-six buildings. Men are

still needed to oil, change filters and do other minor maintenance such

as periodically checking allmechanical equipment.

By pressing the desired system-select button, the schematicdiagrams for

the mechanical equipment involved will show on the view-screen located in

front of the operator. Each start-stop function used for pressure check

or valve operation or to operate motors isnumbered and identified on the

schematic diagram. When the system button is pressed and the schematic

diagram for the system shows on the view-screen, the ten console start-stop

buttons become identified through switching action with the mechanisms

indicated on the screen.The numbered start-stop buttons on the console

corresponding to those on the screen can now operate the identified equip-

ment. In this manner fifty systems-buttons and ten start-stop buttons can

operate up to five hundred different pieces of equipment throughoutthe

area. The ten temperature-check buttons on the console lettered A through J also have their corresponding letters on the system schematic shown on the view screen. By use of these buttons temperature check for any desired point may be read out on the temperature indicator located on the face of the console to the left of the view-screen. The eleventh button lettered K checks outside air temperature only. All of the functions of the console are accomplished with comparatively few wires,

Figure 3

The band, Figure 3, is around the main cable serving the entire project.

Special relays called multiplexers located in mechanical equipment rooms near the controlled devices make it possible to use a base circuit of thirty- eight wires plus one system wire for each system.By using thirty-eight wires plus fifty system wires, eighty-eight wires prove sufficient for all of the start-stop and temperature-read-outdescribed above. A sort of reversal of this circuitry makes it possible to usecomparatively few alarm wires with the result thatall functions are handled on a base circuit of one hundred twelve wires.

After a year of operation, reduction in man-powerby reallocation to other assignments or by old age retirementbad eliminated six operators

for this area,One of the gratifying results of this venture wasthe

effect upon personnel invoivttd. Such a system presented quite a chal-

lenge to the operators; t,ry liked their newwork assignments better

than the previous methods used.They seemed to recognize the university's

need for improvement in methods and theycooperated fully; in fact showed

a marked desire toexpand the system to complete coverage forall areas.

The operators have requested and havebeen given schooling for the purpose

of fully understanding the system.The :.r part in accepting progressive

methods has been most heartening in a timewhen so much adverse publicity

has been given to automation.

The South Yard (Area III - Figure1)

As a consequence of the initial venture inthe North Yard and its success-

ful outcome, Harvard decided to proceed withphase II, the centralized

automation of the physical plant in the SouthYard. This decision was made

at the time the ten story Health Center wasunder construction.This build-

ing, located in Harvard's South Yard, is part of amuch larger project

involving a complex of: multi-story buildings whichwhen finished will cover

a full city block. It is to be known as the Holyoke Center. Since the start of this second control center, an apartmentcomplex accommodating four hundred married students has beencompleted on land fronting the between Dunster House and the PowerPlant.

(Refer to zap.) This group of buildings consists of three twenty-one

story structures and five smaller onesand are all included in phase

II.

The South Yard control center is very similar to theNorth Yard instal-

lation.All of the air conditioning systems at the Health Center

(existing and future) are, or are to be, operated from this console, which will also operate all odd-hour equipment in the otherbuildings

in the South Yard area and includes monitoring similar tothat done in

Area I. Greater use of intercom for listening to equipment start-ups

in mechanical equipment rooms is utilized on thisinstallation.

Arrangements have been made for recording temperatures. All temperature

check points for any selected system may be recorded continuously for

record or analysis of operation by use of a twelve potl' tip chart re-

corder with plug jacks and switching arrangements provided at both centers.

Remote Surveillance

Harvard has several buildings located at a distance notconnected by

tunnels or trenches as is the case in Areas I, II, III. The Observatory

is approximately a mile from the Health Center, SouthYard. It houses

the astrophysics laboratory, which along with other importantresearch,

houses the tracking station for the satellites. The Loeb Drama Theater

with its ultra modernistic architecture and up-to-the-minute aircondition-

ing systems is another vital area.These and several other buildings are

scanned from the console at the Health Center for proper functioning ofthe mechanical plant on a specialsystem devised to operate onlines leased immediately from the local telephone company.Any off-normal conditions in" alert the console at theHealth Center. Provisions for "listening service by on mechanicalequipment rooms andcommunication afford better operator personnel to the areathan was formerlythe case.This system operational labor and saved its initial cost thefirst year in reduced travel time.

Phase III - "Main Yard"Area II

The success of phases Iand II established thefact that operation of approach to the the area environment from acentral point was a proper It could many changesconfronting Buildings andGrounds Administration.

just as well be the proper answerto the operationalproblems of many

other commercial or industrialproperties.

The Holyoke Center is just asmuch a multi-purposebuilding as would be

any modernoffice structure; it has stores,Health Center for students,

garage, specialfunction rooms for facultymeetings, restaurant facilities complex is and administrationoffices.The married students' apartment

comparable in operationalproblems to that of any fourhundred apartment

group of high risebuildings.

Phase III basically will coverArea II on the map, known toHarvard men George as the "MainYard". Buildings in this area dateback to 1720.

Washington borrowed one fromHarvard for barracks forhis soldiers. The

nationally-known Fogg Museumwith its art treasures, thePresident's House,

the Chapel, to mention a few, arehere ranging in age andarchitecture from

Early American to the latestmode, such as the controversialVisual Arts

Center, designed by thefamous French architect LeCorbusier. Installing a third center for the main yard could have been routine.

In a never-ending search for improvement and acceptance of new ideas, however, the decision was made to use the main yard as the center for all of Harvard University with the exception of the Harvard Medical

Center which is located miles away across the river.

The Master Plan ('Phase IV)

As a result of the decision to make Weld Hall, in the Main Yard, the center for all operational activities, the control center there will be more sophisticated than the other two area consoles. This third center will have the capability of assuming all functions of both North

and South Yard consoles by means of a switching action when desired by

the Weld Hall operator.

The new center at Weld will eventually serve the entire 246 buildings which comprise Radcliffe College, the North, South and Main Harvard

Yards and across the Charles River, the Harvard Graduate School of Business

Administration, Buildings and Grounds Headquarters, Printing and Athletic

buildings as identified in Figure I.

More human engineering became necessary to make such a system workable.

When fifty systems could be checked out in from one to two hours, check-

ing two hundred systems presented the problem of an unacceptable time

requirement if handled in the same manner as Phases I and II. To eliminate

time and energy in button pushing for check out these functions are now

being further automated. When the master control center is completedin September it will have a

capacity for two thousand temperature checkpoints. Planned circuitry will make possible an automatic temperature scanthat can take place at

the rate of a point per second.Any off-normal points will automatically

print out on a tape in blue, the time,the area, the system and the point.

Critical alarm scan will print out in red aswell as alert the board by

alarm born and red light. By the addition of two Switchesand four area

buttons the console will be kept as simple aspossible. There will be

two view-screens each havingcapacity for 100 systems schematics. Other

than these changes all consoleswill be basically the same at each center.

A control center of such proportionsindicated the necessity of providing

further means of helping the operator tokeep the console functional.

Automatic scanning will permit theoperator to focus his attention mainly

on off-normal problems.He will still have responsibility forodd-hour

operational control and have all alarm functions to process. He will have

to direct the field force andkeep track of their whereabouts and be familiar

with fire and security alarms now to bechanneled into this center. It

becomes his responsibility to know of all systemscharges and to record

those charges so that the center will remain currentand functional at all

times.

During near peak load conditions the operator willbe responsible for

monitoring the total steam demand so as toavoid any increase in demand

charges.The steam rates now are based upon a demand loadof 235,000

pounds per hour. With the economies that accrue frombetter control of

the use of steam, it is hoped that present peakrequirements may be main-

tained in the face of the very sizeable new building program. Steam consumption is now metered and tie consumptionfor the entire plant will be read out at the center console.As near peak conditions arise, the master operator will have todecide whether Harvard can hold the line.

He will have the ability to shutoff building service valves throughout the entire area. It will be his judgment as to whatbuildings can be taken off the line and for how long.

As stated, the new console at Weld Hallwill be essentially the same as

the other two control centers.However, a specially designed message

center will make it possible for one operatorto handle this very busy

control area.The message center, familiarly referred to as"the electric

notebook", will afford a means of recording minor systemschanges and of

placing this information where it will becomeintegrated into the daily

functioning of the board. Its other purpose is as a daily reminder to

take the place of the clip-boards used at theother centers for current

instructions of a more or less temporary nature. (See Figure 4, below.)

FLOW VIEW SECURITY+ 1 METERS SCREENS SPECIAL ALARM

FIRE ALARM ON WALL NOT SHOWN IN SKETCH

PRINTER'

0 a =IDZIESIn o0 0:1=CIXIMni a MESSAGE] CENTER

Figure 4 On each side of the operator a sloping shelfcontains a radical innovation, two groups of fifty unique MICRO SWITCHassemblies, a total of two hundred -- one for each system. The MICRO SWITCH assemblies house four lightsunder a glass cover, each cover twoinches square. Under the glass cover two of the lights are white and two are amber.The two white lights become ener- gized whenever the corresponding systems button on theconsole is activated.

Each MICRO SWITCH is teamed with a push button connected tothe two amber lights. Under the glass top which is easily removed is located acard on which minor systems changes may be typed. When the white light blinks on, the message is easily read through the glass.

The outer surface of the glass is reserved for greasepencil notes, notes used to remind the operator of the day-to-dayschedule changes; that is, changes of a temporary nature. Whenever such a message is written onthe glass surface of a switch, the local amber light button ispushed.The amber lights remain on, that is for all switches that haveaccumulated messages. When the instructionshave been fulfilled, the amber light is

"pushed out" and the message easily erased from the glass by use of a rough paper towel.

A mock-up of this system and simulated use by the operatorsreceived their

approval. The message center appears to be a good answer to the problem

of relieving the operator from as much detail as possible.

The operators assigned to this center feel confident that with the automatic

scanning, print out and message center board that they can controlthe area

environment as easily for two hundred forty odd buildings as they nowdo for

sixty odd. CONCLUSIONS

In summary, the foregoingexplanation has outlined the development by

Harvard of a new system for operational managementof the area environ- ment.The success of each former phase has given the executivepersonnel of the University the confidence needed to progress to this next new development.

Factory research, encouraged by the success of centralized control,is even now studying the possible use of computers tofurther automate the control of area environment. Computers appear to bold the answer to even greater economy of operation of the physical plant. For example, they could be used for evaluation of load requirements, for programming, for costing and for inventory control.

Without the availability of a single district steam system servingthe two hundred or more buildings at Harvard the type ofcentralized control outlined in this article would never have been considered. Once the pattern for practical control of all the operationalfunctions of multi - building complexes has been established, its use will spread rapidly.

With the trend toward centralization of operational control will come a corresponding spread inthe demand for District Steam. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TO: Mr. Cecil Roberts, Directorof the Dept. of Bldgs. & Grounds and the

Planning Office, Harvard University,who, by his foresight and leadership,

encouraged his staff to seek bettermethods for the operations management

of the physical plant.

It was his decision to takethe rather daring step forward forcontrol

and surveillance of large groups ofbuildings from a single control :enter.

In so doing, he entered anuntried, unproven field; he established abetter

way of meeting currentproblems in building management.

TO: Mr. Henry J. Muller, DeputyDirector of the Dept. of Mdse. & Grounds

at Harvard University.Many of the features of the systemdetailed in

this article are a result of Mr.Muller's expression of need; in fact,

the message center is mostly his creation. It was his interest, belief

and enthusiasm for the conceptsrepresented in this type of centralized

building control that made such an installationpossible.