Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

f 1^ Q ^ for Promoting Safety • Providing _ _ _ _ Comfort • Reducing Fatigue lYI ATT I N G Furthering Sanitation t:Zi-KU(7 KU00tK LINK MATTING Traps all dirt at the ds«r, keeps It out of sight and prevents trackina through the building, reducing cleaning costs and frequency of redecorating, necessitated by dirt whirled into the air by the heating system. Modernizes and beautifies entrances and lobbies. Beveled edge. Reversible, Its durability is doubled. Available with lettering and designs. AMERIJRED SOLID PLASTIC FRICTION MATTING For ramps, stairs, landings, entrances and in front of box office. Good scrapeage. Lies flat. Comes In sections 29" X 62" X 9/64". Can be laid side by side for larger, or trimmed for smaller or odd-shaped areas. AMERICAN COUNTER-TRED MATTING A tough, durable rubber and cord matting. For use back of candy counters and around popcorn machines. Resilient non-slip surface affords safety. Easily handled for cleaning. %" thick, 24" wide, any length. SAFETY STAIR TREADS AND RUNNERS Write for folder: "A Mat for Every Purpose" AMERICAN MAT CORP. "America's Largest Matting Specialists" 1722 Adams St. • Toledo 2, Ohio When planning ^or 4.a*in<; draperies curtains, ui and general stage equipment ^or your new theatre, be sure to consult us. ^ R TAYLOR ^ interior Decorator Theatre Inter. ^ 612 loyner Street Greensboro, N. if* 1 New • Used • Rebuilt Projectors, Screens, Chairs, Sotjndheads, Amplifiers, Arc Lamps, Rectifiers, Generators, etc. Write for bargain booklet. ^Equipment bought at highest prtces S. 0. S. CINEMA SUPPLY CORP 449 W. 42nd St., N. Y. C. // you do not see what you want advertised, write Better' Theatres. Use Better Theatres Catalog Bureau, Page 50. provision for cooling and dehumidification, would then be required. During the winter season in most of the United States, the internally generated heat and moisture is easily removed by the introduction of sufficient outside air, suitably tempered, if necessary, to produce the desired results. , During cold weather the quantity of outside air should be reduced to the minimum needed for odor control. Heating of this amount of outside air will be necessary at times so that its final temperature will be such as to maintain desired conditions. It will thus be observed that heating of a theatre is actually often a process of "controlled cooling." Prior to the admission of the first patron and during the time of small occupancy, sufficient heat must be provided to balance the net heat losses that will occur in most areas of the country in the winter time. Conventional methods of heating include the recirculation of part or all of the air handled by the ventilating system, raised to a sufficient temperature above 70° F. ; or the use of direct radiation distributed strategically throughout the theatre; or by both methods simultaneously. As the number of patrons increase, the need for heating may change to a need for cooling. This shift in requirements can be readily satisfied by the ventilating and heating systems, provided means for adjusting the quantity of outside air and heat supplied thereto has been incorporated in the design of the equipment. TYPE OF HEATING PLANT An automatically fired steam or hot water boiler will prove satisfactory for the furnishing of the necessary heat for tempering the ventilation air, as well as heat for lobbies, toilets, rest rooms, office, etc. The use of a hot water heating system in lieu of a steam system will often prove desirable, because underfloor gravity returns are not needed for the proper operation of a hot water system. Also, it is not necessary to provide a depressed boiler room or pump pit for a hot water system. Hot water systems do not require radiator or blast coil traps; and adequate zoning of the various portions of the theatre is easily provided. Because of the fact that heating will be required in the lobby, rest rooms, lounges, toilets, office, etc., at the same time that cooling is needed in the auditorium, adequate means for zoning are indicated. The use of forced circulated hot water with individual, thermostatically controlled, motor-operated circulators in the returns from each zone, will satisfy this requirement with a minimum investment. The installation of a suitable safety control to prevent the possibility of freezing the outside air heating coils in the event of failure of a part of the mechanical equip SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE PROJECTION ROOM THE projection room of a small theatre properly does not differ essentially from that of a house of larger capacity which does not present stage performances requiring non-cinema equipment. The room should be placed at a level low enough to produce a projection angle as small as possible (not more than 10°), and high enough to prevent interference of the projection light beam by structural elements or persons walking in the auditorium. Complete planning instructions, giving revised specifications approved by the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, were published in the Journal of the Society for September, 1942, and are available from t"he Society at the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York City. A practical plan for a projection room, by John J. Sefing, was published in Better Theatres of March 3, 1945. Schemes for projection lamp exhaust system and projection room port fire shutters, also by Mr. Sefing, appeared In Better Theatres of April 29, 1944. ment would be necessary in the use of hot water. (It should be pointed out here that steam systems, also, are vulnerable to damage from freezing, under certain conditions, and safety controls should be included in their design.) RADIANT HEATING Consideration has been given to the use of radiant or panel heating in theatres. The ever increasing interest in panel heating by the building industry and prospective building owners raises the question whether this form of heating may soon displace all other forms of heating systems in use today where a high degree of comfort is desired. The more common forms of panel heatmg at present are constructed of grids or sinuous pipe coils buried in the concrete floors, in plaster ceilings or walls, as required to provide sufficient heating areas. Hot water is circulated through these coils at relatively low temperatures, at varying degrees to conform to the weather conditions. Wrought iron, copper and steel pipe coils are used, depending upon the several factors entering into the design requirements. The ability of a floor type radiant panel to change its heat output rate as rapidly as necessary in the auditorium of a theatre is questionable. Because the need for heating is greatest when a theatre is empty, and probably non-existent when filled to capacity, it would appear that the added 26 BETTER THEATRES, JUNE I, 1946