The hospital was officially opened in 1903 and is recorded as being the first air conditioned building in the world. The historical listing of the building is unusual, as it results, in part, from the engineering uniqueness of the plenum ventilation system. This listing includes the fan chambers, fans, steam-drive machinery, as well as the entire under-corridor airway plenums.
Head of Hoare Lea's research and development, Terry Wyatt, jokes: "The ventilation system at the Royal Victoria Hospital has been in use for 100 years – it's clear that that our founder understood the principles of healthy ventilation better than a lot of people since."
Source
Building Sustainable Design
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