Bjørn and Chloë‘s wedding was a truly fantastic day in the arms of friends and friends of friends, regrettable only for lasting a mere single day, not nearly enough under such circumstances.
Now, coming back from the mid-lands, we’ve stopped in London for the weekend, figuring it would be a waste to not lay down our hard-earned cash here, when we passed so close by. As it happens, I’m typing this on my brand-new 13” MacBook Pro, which marked a good ending to a great first day.
It’s been about a decade since we were last here, and to be honest it doesn’t stand particularly clear in either of our memories, which has made our visit that much more enjoyable, as we’ve already come to fall in love with this city (as we do with all the major cities we visit… With the exception of Rome. Sorry Romans).
To this day however, there are things that boggle the mind about England. First of all, what’s with the windows? Here we are, seventh floor of the otherwise very nice Hotel Russel, wonderful room, approaching what one might term Scandinavian in its design choices, and then the windows… I believe a large part of the US actually have the same twisted concept of windows; the kind you unlatch and then pull up?
Not only do they almost always require the strength of a well-built man to open (I struggle), but to counter that horrible design flaw, they’re about as air-tight closed as they are open. And not being air-tight, you’re right to question their sound-proofing; because there is none.
And this isn’t merely an issue restricted to the posh Hotel Russel, the otherwise fantastic Westfields Private Hotel we stayed at near Endon had the exact same windows (though with a second, newer layer of glass over it). It’s as if this country hasn’t figure out that windows serve purposes other than stopping the major elements from rushing in and killing people; that there are in fact some ‘subtlety’ to be ironed out of their 16th-century design.
To think of the heating cost and noise pollution a building the size of Hotel Russel could abolish, were they as meticulous with their windows as they (or their predecessors) have been with their marble-covered lobby.
If nothing else, it would save us from having to use ear plugs to sleep…
To be fair, those type of windows are fairly unusual in the UK, certainly in residential and newer buildings.
We just have a lot of old buildings, many of which are not allowed to change them to maintain the character (and probably wouldn’t as that character is a draw). That style of window was a obviously a much simpler design than hinged versions back in the Victorian era when Hotel Russell was built (and you’ll note that in the refurbishment they did it was internal, probably because they aren’t allowed to change the look of the exterior).
I’m with you. I live in an older building, circa 1850 or so. We have those same kind of windows (singled paned even) and they’re awful. I have to throw all 200 lbs. into opening one of the giant bastards, and in the winter I can feel the heat being sucked right through the gaps. It’s infuriating.
I live in the US and I dont know of too many homes that DONT have windows that open by pulling up from the bottom. Older styled homes have the ones that leaver out the sides sometimes but they seem about as efficient as the normal windows. I think the “air tightness” of the window depends more upon its age and how many panes it has of glass and whether there’s air filled layers inside as well.
You can’t fall out a pull-up window. In the US many offices have windows that don’t open at all, so we’re just happy if we can get fresh air at all.
To be sure, pull-up windows can be made to be air-tight and easy to use and what not; but at least in my experience, most of them are from the turn of the century… Ehm… The century before last that is. One thing is keeping the original facade intact, another is not modernizing it, to the detriment of both the people in the building as well as the environment.
Strange though, I don’t think Denmark has ever had pull-up windows. I wonder why?
I have modern double glazed pull up windows, and they work great. The whole idea is that you open the bottom and the top at the same time. Hot air goes out through the top, cold fresh air comes in from the bottom. It’s natural air con
That’s an interesting idea. Does it work?
Er… looking at the
average temperatures because necessity is the mother of invention and you’d all have died of cold.
Record low of –22 in January, now that’s cold. That’s when the Sambuca and Ouzo are needed!
Not sure what the weird spaces were in the last comment…
I forgot to say, I agree, crap design. A bit like top-loading washing machines (which they only seem to sell in the US, some could clean up — pun intended! — with front loaders).
Well, with regards to the average temperatures, NY is pretty darn cold in the winter as well, and they have those windows…
@ Michael. Works pretty good. It’s just convection and circulates the air, it doesn’t really cool a room, but stops it heating up unbearably. A good stiff breeze also helps…
OK, you’ve got me far too interested in this, so a bit of hunting around led to finding out they’re called (box) sash windows and the sites: The History of the Box Sash Window and Sash Window Specialist. They’re suggestions (along with Wikipedia) on the benefits of the windows were:
1. They’re were more aesthetically pleasing that the previous window designs, allowing larger panes of glass and therefore lighter rooms.
2. They “provide efficient cooling of interiors during warm weather.”
3. And “sash offered many advantages, including being better suited to the wet British climate, as it can be closed down to a narrow gap, allowing for good ventilation whilst reducing the chance of rain entering. Being contained within the box, the sashes are less susceptible to distortion and rot than a hinged casement adding greatly to their life span.”
As for why they’re still there, as I said, that aesthetic is heavily protected in the UK. Hotel Russell is Grade II listed, which means it’s classed as “of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them.”
That means they have to apply for consent before doing anything on the building and, typically, it will mean you can’t change the key elements, which are typically the exteriors.
They could put in more modern sash windows, but I imagine the cost of consultation, working with the planners, getting ongoing approval, sources appropriate windows etc means it’s cheaper to just leave the existing ones in place.
Lee, you’re the reason why having comments on a blog rocks. I mean that.
Thanks for the info. I wonder though if Hotel Russel couldn’t at least have their windows insulated, if they can’t have them replaced.