History of ventilation, in search of better air to breathe

It may seem that the history of ventilation is relatively recent. That fans have only been with us for a few years and that in previous centuries this was a non-existent issue. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although there was no electrical energy in many centuries past, the search for comfort at home through better air input and also to achieve more benevolent health conditions has existed for many centuries.

In reality, even mechanical ventilation as we understand it today has practically always existed. For example, with fans. In many ancient Asian cultures, there were servants whose sole duty was to fan the nobles, without moving a muscle beyond what was necessary to move the fan.

But aside from such an anecdote, it is considered that one of the first findings related to the history of ventilation has to do more with a rudimentary form of duct systems to ventilate work areas. We refer to ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. In the ancient Greek region of Laurium, ventilation systems already existed in the mines, as well as in other parts of Rome. And that was in the year 602 BC, as detailed by historian John Atkins in his theory on ventilation, published in 1854. In it, he explains that in the mines of those distant centuries before Christ, there were already signs of modern ventilation.

After all, in those mines, they sought a system to clean the air breathed by the workers, as well as to ensure a sufficient flow indoors. All of this advanced during the Roman Empire, with important milestones such as Galenism, a movement established by a physician in the middle of the 1st century who sought good air. He was eager to find the origin of diseases caused by air pollution.

Rudimentary ventilation systems followed one another in later centuries. During the medieval ages, many advances of ancient times disappeared, so there are not many documents explaining relevant developments in those centuries. However, it should be noted that during the construction of churches and castles, rudimentary systems were adopted to aerate the buildings.

It was in modern age Europe when new changes in the history of ventilation appeared that propelled true advances. Among them, we must highlight the mathematician known for saving lives with a lamp, Florence Nightingale, who is recognized as the precursor of modern nursing and of whom several films have been made based on her life.

Nightingale saved countless lives in British hospitals in the mid-18th century by changing how they were ventilated. She discovered that the sewers that ran under the hospitals contaminated the air and water of the patients, so she implemented true measures to improve the bad conditions of that time.rn

From the history of classical ventilation to mechanical systems

The 19th century was a hugely important century of changes. And it was also then when the term we know today as HVAC started to be discussed. This term encompasses the English abbreviations Heating - Ventilating - Air Conditioning. Basically, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

It was engineer Willis Haviland Carrier who created this term. How? By creating what can be considered the first air conditioning device in 1902. It was a rudimentary machine for cooling air and controlling humidity and was designed for printing factories and ink fixation on paper. It wasn't until 1914 that he installed the first domestic appliance for the home, in Minneapolis. It is obvious that the name of the creator of that first machine sounds familiar today, one of the main manufacturers carries his surname: Carrier.

In the 20th century, significant advances appeared in the field of ventilation in buildings. The classic interior patios in Europe became popular, and they were designed to promote cross ventilation. The habitability of homes improved with interior patios and ducts that connected what were the modern apartment buildings and homes. The goal was to improve indoor air quality because they already realized that stale air could be the culprit of many respiratory illnesses.

Slowly, air extraction systems began to appear, and what we know today as simple flow systems. It was also during the 20th century that society became aware of the importance of enjoying clean air to gain health benefits.

In this history of ventilation, what does the current 21st century offer us? Undoubtedly, we now live in the age of energy efficiency. Comfort and cooling systems are already very advanced, and it is in recent decades that the focus has been placed on using the minimum amount of energy, and that the energy used is as ecological as possible. From those rudimentary mechanisms in pre-Christian Greece, we now evolve to double flow ventilation, the best to guarantee the most correct air circulation in an energy-efficient manner.