Elevators not only make our work easier when going up and down a building, they also seek to fulfil the psychological expectations created once we reach the lobby. This has led many to concluding whether they like a building more or less. Indeed, for owners of buildings, modernization of their elevator system is a great way of having a competitive advantage over other buildings. Making the decision to modernize involves looking at certain important issues as outlined below.
Current technology
Newer and better technology allows for destination-selection control systems. In this type of elevator system, each elevator car serves a pre-assigned destination chosen by the passengers at terminals in the lobby. This offers more efficiency in handling complex traffic involving a large number of people at one given time. One very attractive feature of this system is that it makes it easier to manage security of the passengers, and to make movement for the physically disadvantaged so much easier.
The alternative to this is the up and down button control system which requires the passenger to direct the elevator car to their destination once they enter the machine. This is the more common system although it is the cause of lift traffic during morning and evening peak hours. Passengers have to wait for longer both inside and outside the elevator and it increases their travel distances.
More modern buildings are going for the destination-selection control systems to gain a competitive advantage over the rest.
Door operators
This is perhaps the most used mechanical part in an elevator. It opens up and closes more times than the elevator goes up and down, and it experiences the most break downs and repairs in the system’s lifetime. Installing a closed-loop door operator system is a modern way of reducing the amount of depreciation due to wear and tear.
The closed loop system keeps monitoring the speed and position of the doors throughout its operations and compares it to the predefined opening and closing data. It ensures that the amount of force used in opening and shutting the door matches the predetermined force, and is consistent with the acceleration and deceleration motions as well. It is hardly affected by external temperature and pressure fluctuations, making the door more reliable and efficient.
You may want to consider this type of door operator if you want an efficient and energy saving component in order to beat your competitors.
Tenant and visitor requirement
Carefully consider the passengers who will be using the lift. Most buildings will be accessed by more adults than children, so the total load at one go should be quite reasonable. The elevator should be spacious enough to accommodate the maximum number of people comfortably without having them squeeze into it like birds in a cage.
Most buildings do not make provisions for use by the physically challenged. Having this in your elevator system is definitely going to be a plus. This means that your building is aimed at providing mobility to all types of people.
Aesthetic implications
The appearance of the lift will create a huge impact on the tenants and visitors about your building. You will have to invest more in renovating the lobby so that the modernized elevator is well incorporated. This includes the terminals, if you decide to settle for a destination-selection controlled system. Go for a lift that has a contemporary interior design so that it can blend in with what you have in the lobby. This kind of blend provides a more harmonious look hence creating an aesthetic appeal.
All in all, hire an elevator modernization consultant engineer to guide you in making the right choices. You might lament about the added costs but the advantages you will receive back are simply too many to write off.
