Architectural Project 6

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SHERIDAN INSTITUTE

ARCH34231 

Davis Campus, Brampton

 MODULE #8C - VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION 

Learning Outcomes

In Ontario, elevating devices are required for barrier free design as stated  in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Therefore, during the Design Development Phase of a project, consideration must be given to modes of vertical transportation especially as this affects aesthetics, budget, structure and the circulation of goods and people. The first major decision regarding the choice of an elevating device is aesthetic/budgetary. Will the elevator be a sculptural (read expensive) statement or a minimalist functional concern to be efficient and low impact.(read less expensive)

How much of the project budget that will be allocated for the elevating device  will depend partly upon the desired statement. Once the type of elevator is determined, then the design team must consider the implications for implementation of this decision....the research must discover the space, shaft, equipment, pit, over run, and penthouse requirements. In an existing building retrofit or adaptive re-use the electrical and structural implications become especially significant. This module is intended to simulate the decision making and implementation processes of elevating device selection.

Contents

1.   Elevator Inspiration

       
Glass walled shaft at the Cleveland Museum of Modern Art  Glass walled shaft at the Cleveland Museum of Modern Art  has a glass roof and proprietary clips to hold it al together Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris France Interior atrium elevator...shaftless with a metal cab and glass back wall Lloyds of London exterior shaftless glass elevator 
       
The sculptural lift in the Musee du Louvre, Paris France.  goin' down!

 

 

2.    Types of Elevators

 

Because of its many complexities, an elevator system is generally designed by an elevator consultant, or the design department of the manufacturer.   What is usual is for the designer to lay out the elevator in somewhat general terms, and then the manufacturer prepares a "shop drawing" which guides the actual installation.
Some basic guidelines have been provided on pages 181 to 182 of TASC (The Architect's Studio Companion).

A minimal requirement for an elevating device to meet the requirements of barrier-free access could be provided by a Handicapped Lift.   These lifts are regulated by a portion of the Ontario Elevating Devices Act which refers to elevators with platforms of 25 sq. ft. or less, and with a run of no more than 26 feet.
The footprint of a Handicapped lift is usually close to square, but you can also get a unit which is 3 feet in width and 7 feet long.  Concord Elevator is a prominent manufacturer of such lifts.
There are a number of different "drives" for passenger elevators:
Conventional Hydraulic

 
  • An in-ground jack lifts a platform guided by rails.   The drilling of the hole is normally done before the building is built so this is not generally a good choice for a building retro-fit.
  • This type can service a rise of 15 to 60 feet  (approx.up to 7 floors )
Holeless Hydraulic
  • A cantilevered platform is lifted by a jack that runs between guide-rails.
  • This configuration cannot have rear doors.   The maximum rise is 20 feet.
Holeless Dual Cylinder
  • A cantilevered platform is lifted by ropes (steel ropes or cables) that pass over a sheave fastened to the top of a hydraulic jack.
  • Rise of 20 feet as per conventional holeless.

 
Roped hydraulic
  • This configuration can't have a rear entrance.
  • Consider this design for rises of 26 to 60 feet.

 
Geared traction
  • A conventional overhead geared machine with the car attached to cables that are counter-weighted over the drive sheave. 
  • The motor size and consumption is a much less that those of a hydraulic elevator, but the elevator and building costs are higher.

 

3.    OBC Requirements related to Elevator Equipment

 

Section 3.5 "Vertical Transportation" of the OBC deals with elevator and elevator shaft requirements.
Elevator shafts will extend through floorplates which will generally be required to maintain a fire separation.  The requirements of these fire separations are always related to the floor ratings.  Specific requirements are laid out in table 3.5.3.1 of the OBC.  For example, where floors are required to have a 45 minute FRR, the walls of the elevator shaft must provide a FRR of 45 minutes.
The ratings of elevator doors are regulated by section 3.1.8 of the OBC.  Table 3.1.8.4 indicates the FRR of a closure relative to the rating of the wall in which it is located.  A 45 minute wall, would require a 45 minute closure, for example.
The elevator machine room will have to be separated from other parts of the building by the same rating as the elevator shaft, but there is no need to fire separate the shaft from the machine room (luckily...given the equipment which must pass between the two in some elevator designs).
It is part 3.8 of the OBC which makes the connection between the presence of elevators and barrier-free access--essentially, if elevator access is provided to a floor level, it must be developed as an accessible floor.  The height of elevator controls are regulated by OBC section 3.8.1.5.
When a building exceeds three storeys in height, it is required to have an elevator which is adequate in size to accommodate a stretcher, that is at least 6'-7" long and 2'-0 wide, except for in the instance of a hospital or residential care facility (B2 or B3 occupancy) in which case such an elevator is required irregardless of building height.
Please refer to the Province of Ontario Elevating Devices Act and Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and WHMIS Regulation for further concerns.

 

 

4.   Sizing of Elevator Equipment

 
There are a number of building types where the sizing and speed of the selected elevators is critical to the functioning of the building:  apartment towers, office towers, hotels, hospitals, etc.  In the case of a church, a school or a recreational centre, an elevator or two is generally included only to facilitate the movement of goods from floor to floor, and the occasional infirm or handicapped person.  Sometimes elevators are used as a means of maintaining the security of an area (access to a parking garage, for example).
Any of the areas of your complex intended to accommodate large numbers of people will general have level access, or access by way of a grand staircase.  An escalator might be a possibility.
In the case of most of your designs, the elevator (or elevators) is a supplementary form of access from floor to floor, and likely one elevator, of small dimension will be adequate.
Page 207 of TASC (4th edition) provides some criteria for determining the number of elevators, as well as the usual sizes of elevator cars/shafts of various capacities.

 

 

5.   Detailing Concerns related to Elevators

 
As we move toward the technical drawing phase of our project, you should be developing the detail of the following issues.
Elevators
  • Selection of an appropriate car size and drive.
  • Determination of machine room requirements and location
  • wall assemblies of shaft to provide for the structural requirements of the elevator rails and maintain the required fire separations.
  • Integration of lobby/corridor finishes with door assemblies.
  • Design features of the elevator cabs.

 

 

 Further References

 

 

TASC Reference:        Pages 181-182
Codes and Regulations: 
Ontario Building Code 2006
Ontario Elevating Devices Act  (http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/RepealedStatutes/English/90e08_e.htm)
Occupational Health and Safety Act and WHMIS Regulation
Ontario Technical Standards and Safety Act (as it relates to Elevators) (http://www.canlii.org/on/laws/regu/2001r.209/20050511/whole.html)
Elevator Selection and Design
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevator#Types_of_elevator_hoist_mechanisms
http://www.otisworldwide.com/k2-elevators.html
Canadian Building Digest No. 190 (http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/cbd/cbd190e.html)
Choosing an elevator (DELTA):  http://www.delta-elevator.com/elevatorproducts/index.html

 

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