Elevator engineering design is a crucial aspect that should be considered equally as other building services. It is important to understand the significance of elevator engineering in ensuring the safety and comfort of occupants in a building.
I remember visiting one of the renowned university architecture engineering departments in Lahore, which was an 11-floor building. Most of the floors were occupied with classrooms and lab areas, with a few professor rooms as well. It was around 11:00 AM during the day, and I noticed that many female students were waiting in line for the single elevator in the building. They realized that I wasn’t a student and courteously allowed me to enter the elevator first. However, it was quite embarrassing to stand inside the crowded elevator, trying my best to avoid touching other passengers, which was almost impossible. I wondered why there was only one elevator and why its capacity was only around 630 Kg-800 Kg.
Many buildings in Pakistan face the dilemma of not having proper elevator designs. In developed countries, architects typically decide the elevator capacity and quantity based on the building’s functionality and usage. Unfortunately, the education system for architects in Pakistan doesn’t prioritize this aspect of building design. Instead, architecture students focus primarily on innovating building outlooks rather than understanding the details of a building’s interior requirements, such as elevator design. MEP design is often overlooked, with no one taking responsibility for it. Mechanical, electrical, and civil engineers may study it as an additional subject, but there are hardly any MS in building services/MEP programs in Pakistani universities. Additionally, there is no BS in Building services programs anywhere in Pakistan.
MEP Design comprises mechanical (HVAC, Ventilation, Smoke Ventilation, Elevators, Fire Fighting), electrical (Distribution, Lighting), plumbing, and BMS (Building Management System) works. In Middle Eastern countries, an experienced MEP designer is expected to design all these services, whereas in the US/Western developed countries, each design is made separately by experts in that field, such as an HVAC Engineer, Fire Fighting Engineer, or Distribution Engineer. The basic education requirement is also different for each specialty. Mechanical specialties are designed by Mechanical Engineers, Distribution and lighting by electrical engineers, and plumbing is usually designed by Civil Engineers or sometimes Mechanical Engineers as environmental and public health experts. Building Management Systems are designed by experts from an IT background.
In my personal opinion, each of these fields is so diverse that one cannot be an expert in all services in one lifetime. It is not advisable to handle multiple services by one person only. Moreover, each specialty requires R&D work in Pakistan to formulate standards and design requirements as per our environmental, social, or budget needs. Unfortunately, there is no single institute in Pakistan working on these subjects. Designers are forced to rely on US/Western countries’ standards like ASHRAE, NFPA, or IEEE standards designed for their respective regions, but not for Pakistan. This situation of zero R&D and improper design knowledge not only cultivates a poor design culture but also tends to waste a lot of money and energy in the shape of over-designing these services.
In terms of elevator design in Pakistan, there are a few challenges that can lead to a worst-case scenario. Firstly, there is often no background engineering study done for any specialty at the graduate or post-graduate level. Additionally, there is no specific specialty that takes responsibility for elevator design, and there is limited information available about its design in the Pakistani market. Due to space limitations and initial costs, elevators cannot be overdesigned like other MEP components, and this can lead to further complications. The cost of elevator design is also often quite high because many parts need to be procured from the international market.
Elevator is the integration of different mechanical, electrical, and electronic components. The design inefficiency is one aspect that leads to poor elevator operation in the shape of availability for users in many buildings in Pakistan. There are many other dilemmas which are associated with elevators. One aspect is poor Operation and maintenance. In most of the hospital buildings in the Public sector in Federal or Punjab areas, the availability of elevators in hospital buildings is less than 20-30 % all around the years due to maintenance issues. An elevator is a moving machine that needs experienced staff, spare parts inventory, and quick and effective after-sale service from a manufacturer representative in Pakistan. Unfortunately, we never pay attention to any of these requirements which not only affect the satisfactory operation of the elevator but also compromise the safety of passengers. Several accidents have been observed in Pakistan in the last few years due to poor operation and maintenance issues.
Elevators need Traffic Analysis as the first step before any further design to correctly design size, speed, and quantities of elevators. Different traffic analysis software is available online. The passenger mustn’t wait more than the desired time as well as elevator should not be idle for most of the time. Traffic Analysis software or even simple Traffic analysis Calculation design elevator parameters according to project usage and the of passengers in use at different times of the day as well as considering the height of the building to reduce passenger waiting time. These all parameters easily be decided with the help of this software. The relevant Architect or MEP engineer must decide on quantities and sizes at the time of concept design to set the minimum space at concept/coordination time. High-rise buildings which are very less in Pakistan at the moment need more in-depth analysis with multiple configurations of elevators like the designation of each elevator or group of elevators separately to certain floors as per project requirements. There are a number of design requirements and an elevator engineer who is very specialized in his field needs to be involved for at least high rise buildings before the finalization of these parameters. As a simple rule, I recommend all Clients to always ask their Architect for Average Waiting Time (AWT) which shall be in best to be around 40-60 seconds internationally but in Pakistan, we may accept up to 80-100 seconds as well.
The speed of the elevator is very important in buildings, In the US, Middle East, or China where we have no of sky scrappers, the speed of an elevator may go beyond 10 meters/second in many of the buildings, and on average they are using elevators of around 3.5-4.0 meter/second in high rise buildings. The average speed of elevators in Pakistan is 1 meter/second. We have few with the speed of 1.6 meters/second and very few with a speed upto 3.5 meters/second and in my knowledge no lift beyond 3.5 meters/second is installed in Pakistan even though we have many Sky scrappers as well as high-rise buildings in Pakistan in Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi. Speed matters for quick operation in high-rise buildings and we shall decide our project speed with the consultation of architects and lift engineers. High-speed elevators also pose more maintenance than normal speed elevators and their cost are slightly higher than normal-speed elevators. However quantities of elevators may also reduce with a selection of high-speed elevators as per engineering calculations.
When designing an elevator, it’s crucial to determine its capacity beforehand. A traffic analysis can help determine the individual elevator capacity, measured in kilograms. The capacity options typically range from 450kg to 2000kg, while cargo elevators can handle up to 5000kg. Commercial elevators should not be less than 800kg, and hospital elevators should not be less than 1600kg to accommodate beds. Keep in mind that the average weight of a person is 75kg, so you can calculate the number of people the elevator can hold based on its capacity.
The process of designing elevators involves selecting the right quantities, speed, and size of the elevator. The elevator engineer needs to finalize the elevator source, installation techniques, and operation and maintenance guidelines. In my experience, the operation and maintenance format is the most crucial aspect to decide even before finalizing the elevator works.
In Pakistan, most elevators are either non-operational or pose safety threats due to poor O&M and the unavailability of spare parts. Therefore, the elevator source needs to be finalized by considering after-sale services and the O&M team’s capability. The elevator should not be procured in isolation. It should be procured with a two-year defect liability period, a one-year warranty, and an inventory of critical elevator spare parts available in Pakistan. Moreover, it should be procured from firms with a good reputation for after-sale service for at least five years with the same offered brand.
Elevator engineers are responsible for predicting energy requirements and designing energy-efficient elevators, which is becoming increasingly important for the design of energy-efficient buildings. In addition, elevator engineers are experts in the design of escalators and travelators, which require almost the same level of design effort as elevators. It is essential to rely on a qualified elevator engineer, who may be an architect, mechanical, or electrical engineer with profound knowledge and experience in elevator engineering, to carry out the design work.