The Lobby- A ‘Trivial’ Element in Lift Design

Lift system design is based primarily upon the handling capacity of the equipment during a sample period of the morning up peak traffic condition. An integral part of the ability to feed people into the lift system is the lobby on each level, but particularly the one at the lower terminal, where the intending passengers mass while waiting to be conveyed. The design of the lobby does not form part of the lift installation, and in many cases, the lobby is designed by people not associated with the industry, with results detrimental to the system operation. This paper investigates problems arising from such a marriage, in some larger buildings.