Rule-based calculation and simulation design of elevator traffic systems for 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, it defines the terms sector, zone and stack. A sector is a group of floors that are served by one or more elevators in a journey and are not necessarily fixed and are not necessarily contiguous. A zone is a group of contiguous floors that are served by a group of elevators and are fixed in hardware. When a number of zones are grouped together they form a stack, which is effectively a building within a larger building that is served by a main lobby or by a sky lobby. The systematic methodology is built around the use of rational rules. Rational rules differ from rules of thumbs in a number of ways, and these are discussed in the paper. Six rational rules are presented and used in the design of high-rise buildings. The rules are triggered by the checking of a number of design parameters such as the waiting time and the transit 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. Five case studies on the design of various buildings are presented in order to illustrate the use of the six rules. In addition, feedback from the industry experts is reviewed in a dedicated section.

Practical application: This paper presents a set of six rules for the design of elevator traffic systems for high-rise buildings. Armed with calculation and simulation tools, the designer can follow the six rules in a systematic procedure in order to arrive at a compliant elevator traffic design for high-rise buildings.