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Dear Users,

Unfortunately, the heat wave of the past few weeks has not spared the University Library—temperatures inside our building have also been very high, and we have received numerous comments from you regarding this.
We would therefore like to explain the situation:

The University Library building was constructed in the 1960s. At that time, a ventilation system was installed that relies on exhaust air and a supply of fresh air, which can be heated. It is therefore not an “air conditioning system” in the strict sense of the term. The system was designed for a closed building (without windows that open) and for use as a library with book storage areas, not for study rooms. As a result, it has now reached its capacity limits, since there are many people in the building who generate more heat and consume more air than was originally intended.

While the windows, which can now be opened, provide some relief, they also exacerbate the uncomfortable temperatures in winter and summer. Here are some explanations:
The system is controlled by sensors. Depending on the outside temperature, the air is heated or cooled by bringing in fresh air from outside. Unfortunately, the system has a significant delay in both heating and cooling. This is particularly problematic in the spring and fall, when daytime and nighttime temperatures vary greatly. If it is very cold at night, the outdoor sensor activates the heater, which begins to warm the fresh air. However, this takes a while ...

In the summer, the heating is turned off, but the rooms heat up quickly due to sunlight and the blind system, which often reacts too slowly. Warm air usually flows in through open windows as well. This results in the rooms becoming very hot.

There are exhaust vents in the ceiling on Level 6. However, these may only be opened in the event of smoke development during a fire, not to vent warm air during the cooler morning hours in the summer. So once the warm air is inside the building, it unfortunately takes many days for it to cool down again.

Furthermore, the RUB is “only” a tenant of the building; the landlord is the Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW (BLB). Any changes to or within the building require permission from the BLB.
As a result, our hands are currently tied, and we are unable to offer an adequate solution.

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience!

Your UB Team

Picture news overview: © RUB, Rosenkranz