Towards a Systematic Methodology for the Design of Elevator Traffic Systems in High Rise Office Buildings

Elevator traffic system design has been traditionally based on rules of thumb and the designer’s judgement and expertise. This is especially true for high rise buildings. This paper attempts to develop a systematic methodology for the design of high rise buildings, by the use of rational rules. In order to ensure clarity and consistency, the paper defines the terms sector, zone and stack. The systematic methodology is built around the use of rational rules. Rational rules differ from rules of thumb in a number of ways, and these are discussed in the paper. Six rational rules are presented and used in the design of elevator systems in high rise buildings. The rules are triggered by the checking of a number of design parameters such as the waiting time and the travelling time, as well as the core area used up and the number of elevators in the group. A simulator for incoming traffic and a single entrance is used in order to obtain the parameters for a design and then to trigger the rational rules.