The Moisture Strikes Back

The sequel framing implies we already fought this battle, and lost. There is a generation of engineers who thought the problem was solved: mechanical cooling, controlled ventilation, modern construction. And then the buildings started getting wet again, because the systems designed to manage temperature were never designed to manage moisture, and the codes never required them to. The Empire Strikes Back is also the darkest of the Star Wars films, the one where the heroes do not win, where the villain is stronger than expected, and where the reckoning is deferred to another day. That is an honest description of where the industry currently sits. It is also the only physical anchor in the day. Everything either side of it is instruments and standards. This is where the room finds out what the material actually tolerates, and where the damage starts.