36 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION 



whose good offices the co-ordination and co-operation of all labora- 

 tories doing chemical or physical work bearing upon geology 

 throughout the world may be secured. 



(a) Consh-uction of the laboratory . It seems to us that it would be 

 advisable that the laboratory building should be planned so as to 

 consist of a series of units, not necessarily identical, that can be in- 

 definitely attached to each other with good architectural effects, so 

 that a working portion of the laboratories can be brought into use 

 as early as possible with the minimum expense, while extensions 

 can be made from time to time as funds permit. The units should 

 be so planned that they will be essentially workable in themselves, 

 while at the same time they should be as modest in expense as prac- 

 ticable, so as to give as great adaptability to financial resources as 

 may be, and at the same time permit advantage to be taken of all 

 new developments in buildings and appliances. 



The}^ should provide for uniform-temperature laboratories, rock- 

 bottomed laboratories, ordinar}^ laboratories, workrooms, libraries, 

 offices, etc. 



The units should be so intimately united as to be in effect portions 

 of one building, and yet so readily isolable as to exclude undesira- 

 ble but inevitable effects of work in one class from interference with 

 work in neighboring units. 



The exterior walls should be protected against the sun and rain 

 by wide cornices and balconies. 



Uniform temperature for experiments, and reasonably uniform 

 temperature for comfortable and effective working should be se- 

 cured by special means of air control and air supply ; perhaps either 

 by carrying the air (a) through underground conduits, or (b) 

 through special chambers cooled or heated, as required, artificially. 

 The necessity for uniform-temperature laboratories for certain 

 classes of experimentation is recognized, but perhaps not equally 

 the desirability of air controlled in purity, temperature, and moist- 

 ure for the purpose of securing the highest efficiency of intellectual 

 procedure. The most serious objection to the erection of the lab- 

 oratories in Washington is climatic. This can probably be over- 

 come in some large measure by artificial appliances, and the im- 

 portance of securing this as a factor in realizing the highest 

 intellectual results should, in our judgment, receive the earnest con- 

 sideration of the Trustees. 



We submit herewith sketches of two out of the many forms of 

 combination that may be assumed by the proposed unit system of 

 building. 



