Passenger elevators transformed the way we build. Buildings of just a few levels extended to skyscrapers because an elevator makes navigating multiple levels far easier for us to accomplish. In recent decades, development of the elevator has reached new heights. Today, passenger elevators are an integral part of most multi-level buildings, designed to recognize our destination and take us there safely in seconds.
Safety First
A transforming moment in the lifetime of the passenger elevator was the development of a safety brake by Elisha G. Otis in 1853. If a hoisting cable broke, this device was immediately engaged to hold the elevator in place. These days, elevators are fitted with intuitive safety features like overload sensors that prevent an elevator from responding unless excess load is removed or some passengers disembark.
Refreshing Air
Stepping into a passenger elevator we’re not immediately thinking about the air we breathe. Often we’re focused on our destination. Often we take the air conditioning in an elevator for granted. Without it, we would quickly notice how unbearably hot an elevator can be. Air conditioning in elevators is essential, contributing cool in summer months and warmth in winter, ensuring air is being circulated and passengers are kept comfortable.
A Quick Journey
Humans tend to be obsessed with time. We are considered tardy if we arrive late, thought of as wasteful if we spend too much time on a task. And for most of us, it’s natural to want any time in a confined space like an elevator to be limited. No wonder then, that increasing the speed of passenger elevators is a constant focus of innovation, with many engineers coming up with grand plans. It is possible these days for elevators to be so fast they race through an elevator shaft at a rate of 3,313 feet per minute.
Comfort and a Smooth Ride
Elevating a passenger’s level of comfort in a multi-level journey is the priority of experience designers. Introducing melodic music to passenger elevators in 1889 encouraged first-time passengers to trust elevators would keep them safe, distracting their attention and providing comfort. In today’s high speed elevators, buffers in the lift shaft, improved car structure and low friction hoisting ensure a smooth ride.
Functional Finishes
Creating a dreamy experience in a passenger elevator strongly depends on lofty ideas. Once the basics of comfortable acceleration and safety are satisfied, passengers look to functional finishes and control panels that will enhance their experience in multiple journeys. Sleek glass and polished metal finishes create a great first impression and provide durable performance.
An Elevating Experience
Mostly, passenger elevators have become so much a part of our everyday lives we rarely think about how truly extraordinary is the technology that inspires their design. Elevators have inspired skyscrapers and continue to motivate designers towards more outstanding design and luxurious experience for humans intent on rising up to meet the challenges of the day.
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