767 Comments Posted by flushed

That is called an expansion loop and it is for expansion and contraction.
The wall tiles here are exactly what I was talking about in the bathroom post here someone asked about the color.

Wasn't that an album title from the 90's?

These are 70's invention. The push buttons were meant to prevent flooding a common act of vandalism committed in institutions.

Most early to mid 20th century public buildings in the east were painted or tiled in this color. I remember the Isolation Hospital in another state and thread on here used to have tile up to 5 feet or so of this same color. A lot of buildings did.

Old architecture was designed for airflow. There was no cooling but the flow of air so big windows.

That is pipe insulation poking down at the back of that room. I expect the copper pipes it insulated was "recycled"

Icewox that is a transom above the now sealed door. the transom is how airflow was accomplished before modern building climate systems.

I suspect the stairs were designed that way as a tool. A way to control large groups of patients or inmates being moved at the same time or a way to make it harder for runners to get around the monitor at the top or bottom.

I don't think Asbestos abatement is all that expensive when one wants to rehab and old building. The real problem is finding reputable men and women to do it. Being in the trade I know that it can be done well for a lot less than it often is.
There is a huge hotel in SF that is full of it and the choice was to not remove it. We stablised it and sealed (encapsulated) it in place.
That is an option especially if the tile mastic is the issue it doesn't even have to be removed. You can just put new flooring over it and use proper procedure for any new cuts in the floor that need to be made. As long as it is not friable and the materiel containing it is not subject to regular friction you can usually seal it in place and leave it alone safely.

Yup before I scrolled down my first thought was Iron Man. I expect its the circle on his chest & the whatevers on his shoulders that evoke the image since nothing else really matches the Iron Man suit.

I'd guess dressing area outside the shower.

those were ubiquitous institutional bed frames. I hate them. This photo triggered me. My tic snapped my head to the side and I yelled in pain.

It wasn't as common to use asbestos fiber in tiles as s often assumed. It is the mastic glue they were attached with that is the asbestos containing materiel that has to be removed when the tiles get abated. You can;t removed the glue without removing the tile so.....

LPN, Its not that wider hallways cost so much it is that the space can be used to pack in more revenue generating activities. If they used the wider format still they would have to go higher or have a larger footprint for the buildings. That, the larger foot print also leads to greater expense as employees learn to navigate the slowest paths between A&B.

recessed light fixture.