Many people do not know this but there are many types of passenger lifts. The most popular passenger lift design may be a pulley system with a counterweight and an electric motor, but there is also the hydraulic passenger lift. The speed of the lift also varies and is usually based on the height of the building. Tall buildings need to have fast lifts to ensure passengers do not spend a lot of time in the lift. The speed of an elevator in a typical multi-level building ranges from 1 to 2.5 meters per second, but can be much higher depending on the number of floors. The capacity of the lift also varies depending on the design, but most lifts normally carry around 10 passengers or a combined weight of around 900kg. When designing a passenger elevator system for a building, all these factors, and many others, must be taken into consideration. The following are some of the key factors to consider:

i) Shaft Design

If designing a passenger lift for an office building, one or more sides of the elevator shaft can be made of glass. Similarly, the corresponding walls of the lift can be made of glass. This makes it possible for the passengers to enjoy the view while going up and down the shaft.

ii) Lift Design

The lift can either be driven by hydraulic or by an electric motor aided by an elaborate pulley system and a counterweight. It is important to note that hydraulic lifts are not best suited for tall buildings since it may be impractical to develop an hydraulic cylinder than can stretch several hundred meters.

iii) Number of Passengers

The number of passengers each lift is supposed to carry is an important factor to consider. This will depend on a number of factors, including; the size of the shaft, size of the building and number of lifts in the building. If a building only has one lift and more than half a dozen levels, the lift should be able to accommodate more than 10 passengers to ensure the building is sufficiently serviced.

iv) Safety Features

The latest lift designs in the market have a wide range of safety features, which act as fail safes in case of system failure. These include automatic brakes, which come on when there is a power outage. There should also be provisions for opening the doors manually when there is a power outage.

The key to proper passenger lift design lies in choosing the best lift company in the city. Ideally, you should choose a firm that has a lot of experience in the industry and has a license, insurance and performance bond.