From where you should stand to striking up a conversation, there are many things you need to know to avoid elevator taboos. You will be expected to follow these unwritten rules whenever you ride an elevator. Follow these tips on proper etiquette for riding on an elevator so you do not offend any of the other passengers.

Riding the Elevator

• When to talk – Conversations are generally discouraged on elevators. You may continue a conversation that was started before boarding, but lewd jokes and topics that could offend others should be refrained until exiting the elevator. If you wish to start a conversation with someone, keep them short so they do not become an awkward situation when one of you exits the elevator.

• Personal space – Touching is considered inappropriate and if you accidentally bump into another passenger you should apologize immediately. Always respect the personal space of the other riders.

• Pressing the buttons – Do not re-press buttons for floors that someone has already hit, it will not get you there any faster. This is considered disrespectful to the person who already selected that floor. If you are near the buttons, you will be expected to press the buttons for other riders to eliminate them from having to reach around people.

• Riding with baggage – If you need to ride an elevator and you have baggage, it is respectful to wait for an empty car. If you must board an occupied elevator, make sure there is enough room for you and your bags, without violating the personal space of others.

• Health issues – If you happen to be sick while riding an elevator, it is proper etiquette to not touch the buttons with your bare hands. If you can, it is common courtesy to wait for an empty elevator to avoid getting others sick. If you must ride with other passengers, try to keep your mouth covered. Whenever you are in an elevator you should cover your mouth when sneezing. NEVER smoke in an elevator.

• Stopping the elevator – The emergency stop button is for emergencies only. Never use this button for any personal reasons.

• Using the elevator for cargo – Using a passenger elevator to transport cargo is not recommended. If it is imperative, try to avoid stopping the elevator for long periods of time so you do not inconvenience regular riders.

Elevators are a very unique place. While you are only on them for a short period of time, there are unwritten rules and etiquette that people are expected to follow. To avoid offending anyone when using an elevator, follow these unwritten rules for boarding and exiting.

Boarding

• Allow people to exit the elevator – When waiting for the elevator, stand clear of the doors. Only board the elevator when you are sure no one else is exiting.

• Who boards first? – Those who are closest to the door should be allowed to get on first. Gentleman should, however, allow ladies the option to board first.

• Know the direction – Before boarding an elevator, make sure you know it is going in the direction you want to travel. This will save you from embarrassment and from delaying the car.

• Entering a crowded elevator – If the car is crowded when the doors open, see if the passengers either verbally invite you to squeeze in or welcome you by making room. As a rule of thumb, there should be room for two people for every one that is attempting to board.

• Holding the door – This should only be done for someone who is running toward the elevator when the car is empty or there is consensus among the passengers that they do not mind waiting.

• Closing the door – The door close button should only be pressed when it is clear that no one else is trying to board the elevator.

• Where to stand – It is proper etiquette to stand as close to a wall as possible. Also consider your destination, if you are going to a higher floor you should stand towards the back. If you choose to stand near the buttons, understand that you may have the increased responsibility of pressing the floor for incoming passengers.

Exiting

• Ladies first – Gentlemen should allow ladies to exit the elevator first unless you are blocking the doors.

• Reaching your floor – When in a crowded elevator and you have reached your floor, announce to the other riders that this is your floor and excuse yourself as you go past them. Pushing is discouraged.

• Getting out of the way – If you are standing between someone who is trying to exit and the door, do your best to move out of the way. If the elevator is crowded, it is acceptable to exit the elevator, allow them to leave, and then re-board.

When you walk into an elevator you probably step in, press the floor you want to go to, and face the doors. Some people may squeeze into a corner, stand right in front of the buttons, or even right in the middle anxiously waiting to get where they are going. In the 60s, a social experiment was done on Candid Camera that proved basic social norms could be reversed using group conformity.

Check out the following video of a similar experiment that shows pieces of the original one. Students from the University of South Florida recreated the experiment. Watch how unsuspecting elevator riders were easily tricked into an uncomfortable situation through the power of social pressure.

After watching the video, what do you think you would do? Every single person who was in the elevator faced the back just because everyone else did. In the original experiment you see one rider’s somewhat “suave” way of conforming to the other passengers by checking his watch. The college students very quickly turned around, as not to be different or seem “weird”. Their subconscious feeling of wanting to “fit in” took over and they gave into the social pressure.

This experiment proves a few things. 1) That people are incredibly awkward on elevators. Notice how no one says anything, they just turn around like the rest of the passengers. 2) People need to “fit in” and be like the rest of the group, even if it means breaking norms and doing something that is different from what they normally do. Next time you take a ride in an elevator face the back and see what happens!

Otis Elevator Company has launched its new mobile application that can be used by their eService customers. The app will allow Otis eService customers to gain instant access to open service calls, elevator performance data, and service call logging from a smartphone.

The app was designed for busy building owners and managers and is an extension of Otis’ popular eService platform. The eService platform is an online performance based repository which allows Otis customers to place service requests, view maintenance data, receive real time updates on open service calls, and more. The app will allow Otis customers the ability to use most of these services on their smartphones or tablets.

The app will make placing service requests and checking elevator data a breeze. People are busier than ever and the app will save building owners and managers valuable time. Now it will be possible to place a service request while walking up the stairs or check performance data while you are riding the elevator.

The app is available to Apple and Android users and comes at no extra cost for eService customers.

How much it will cost you to have an elevator installed in your home will be based on several factors. While many believe that only the wealthy can afford the luxury of a home elevator, it is much more affordable than you think. Many people are installing elevators in their home for luxury, to increase property value, and to increase mobility.

So what will it cost me?

Depending on the drive system, size, and optional features, having a home elevator installed will run you anywhere from $15,000 up to $100,000. For many, you should expect to pay around $30,000 after installation, or about the same price as a new car. Just like with cars, the more extras you add the higher the price will be. Choosing custom sizes, custom colors, emergency phone, and other optional features, will increase the final price.

What are my options?

When looking for the right elevator for your home, you need to think about how you will be using it and what time of drive system you need. There are three main types of drive systems for home elevators; pneumatic, hydraulic, and cable driven.

Pneumatic – If you are planning on using your home elevator for trips to the basement to get the laundry, a smaller pneumatic elevator would be perfect. Pneumatic elevators are the most affordable type of home elevator because they require no pit or machine room and use very little electricity. They use a pneumatic vacuum system to move the elevator cab between floors. They are perfect for smaller homes where space is limited.

Hydraulic – However, if you use a wheelchair and plan to use your elevator to travel to several different floors, a larger hydraulic elevator would suit you better. Hydraulic elevators are the most expensive type of home elevator because they do require a pit and sometimes a machine room. They are quiet, smooth, and are considered the safest type of elevator. They are perfect for larger homes where a bigger cab is needed for traveling between several floors.

Cable Driven – The last time of drive system is cable driven. They use a small motor, counterbalance, and track to carry the elevator cab between floors. This type of home elevator is popular with people who want to save on energy costs because there are many “green” models that use very little electricity. They are more expensive than pneumatic elevator but generally cheaper than hydraulic.

So for around the same price of a new car you can have the convenience and luxury of an elevator in your home. Just like a car, a home elevator is an investment and there are different models to accommodate for your budget.

The state waterfront agency gave its approval Wednesday for the grain elevators along the Buffalo River to be lit up year-round with kinetic lights. The city hopes that the incredibly light show will draw in more tourism and increase jobs throughout Buffalo.

The plan will not only light up the grain elevators, but also the Ohio Street Bridge and underside of the Skyway, creating a one-of-a-kind experience for tourists. Depending on the budget towards the end of construction, the Michigan Street Bridge and General Mills warehouse may also be fitted with a kinetic light show.

If things go as planned, many of the sights along the Buffalo River will be illuminated with a spectacle of kinetic lights. In all, they city hopes to have 14 total grain elevators transformed from eye sores to a huge tourist attraction. The light show will go for 45-minute loops, telling a story about the history of the city. The goal is for the light show to be as successful as a similar project in Quebec City that became a huge hit with tourists and drew in over 200,000 people.

“I think this is a great project, and will really highlight the waterfront’s progress, the history of the grain elevators and their impact on the growth and development of the city of Buffalo.” – Mayor Byron W. Brown

The whole project is estimated to cost about $5 million. They hope to have the whole thing completed by late 2014. When all is said and done, seeing the Buffalo River lit up in such a fashion will prove to be a sight people have not seen anywhere else.

Scott Ashmore of Clintonville, Ohio, has been spending his lunch breaks at the top of the new 1 World Trade Center building. The 51 year old elevator adjuster likes to admire the view of Manhattan and beyond. Ashmore and his fellow union workers have been working diligently to complete the elevators and escalators of the skyscraper.

Ashmore said that the view from the top of the 1,776 foot tall building was unbelievable. “The Statue of Liberty was right down below, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building to the north – you could see 100 miles.” Ashmore is one of thousands of workers who have had the honor to work on 1 World Trade Center.

The $88 million contract for 73 elevators and 11 escalators was awarded to ThyssenKrupp. Hundreds of the company’s employees are working on the project, including Ashmore. “This was the chance of a lifetime. Not many people can say they worked on the World Trade Center,” he said. Ashmore has been working with elevators since he graduated from high school in 1979. He followed in his father’s footsteps, who also worked in elevator construction.

The project includes five express elevators that will travel about 2,000 feet per minute, or 23 miles per hour. This makes the express elevators of 1 WTC the fastest in the United States. Even with their incredible speed, they are expected to give a smooth ride. “They have a lot of innovation,” said Joe Braman, ThyssenKrupp’s vice president for new equipment. “At that speed, they require aerodynamic shrouding, like when you design a wing on the back of a car.” The elevators also have systems in place that prevent swaying during storms.

Ashmore said that the elevators are all based on counterweight systems. The counterweight, which hangs opposite of the elevator cab, must equal 50 percent of the weight of a fully loaded elevator car. Each elevator also has a safety cable connected to a governor. This is a safety measure that automatically puts on the brakes and disconnects all the circuits to the motors if the elevator overspeeds.

The elevators will also use destination dispatching instead of elevator buttons. This will allow you to register for the floor you want to go to from the lobby on a touch screen television monitor. It will then direct you to which elevator you will be taking.

Ashmore has returned home from his work at 1 WTC, but hopes he will be asked back to work again in the future.

The first reference to an elevator was actually in the mid-200s BC. Some of the first findings of elevators were cabs on a hemp rope that were powered by hand or by animals. We have come a long when since then. Elevators are now common and some people even have them in their homes. So how did the elevators we know today come to be?

Early Elevators

Elevators really started to take shape back in the mid-19th century. They were used in coal mines to move goods in bulk and operated with steam power. In 1823, an “ascending room” was built in London as a tourist attraction. They were able to elevate paying customers to a panoramic view of the city. 12 years later, a belt driven elevator with a counterweight called the “Teagle” was developed in England.

Elisha Otis

In 1852, Elisha Otis introduced the safety elevator. It prevented the fall of the cab if the cable broke. A governor device engages knurled rollers, locking the elevator to its guides if the elevator starts to descend at excessive speed. A very similar design is still used today. On March 23, 1857 the first Otis passenger elevator was installed at 488 Broadway in New York City. Today, the Otis Elevator Company is a part of United Technologies Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of vertical transport systems.

Advancement in the Elevator

The Equitable Life Building was completed in 1870 in New York City and was the first office building to feature passenger elevators. Ten years later in 1880, Werner von Siemens would invent the first electric elevator in Germany. The safety and speed of electric elevators would be significantly enhanced by Frank Sprague. He would add floor control, automatic elevators, acceleration control or cars, and safeties. Sprague’s electric elevator was able to run faster and with larger loads than hydraulic or steam elevators. He would later sell his elevator company to Otis in 1895.

The development of elevators was due to the need for movement of raw material like coal and lumber from hillsides. The technology that was developed from this need would provide the passenger and freight elevators that we use today.

For the patient in the bed, the constant opening of the elevator door when no one can enter can be embarrassing. If people do decide to cram in the elevator car around the bed, the patient could feel even more awkward. The system used at every hospital is not efficient and there needs to be a way to eliminate the unneeded elevator stops.

CEDES has created a solution to this problem. The system uses sensors that identify that there is a patient bed on board and the elevator will go to the desired floors with no stops. The simple, yet effective, system uses three TPS sensors in the ceiling of an elevator and an evaluation unit mounted on its roof.

The triangulation sensors monitor the inside of the elevator car and emit two independent beams. This allows the sensors to distinguish between passengers and beds – based on the differences in height. Once a bed is detected, the sensors tell the elevator controls to send the elevator car directly to the floor pressed. This eliminates any unnecessary stoppages along the way.

The TPS bed detection system increases privacy and comfort for hospital patients who are bed-bound and traveling between floors. No key switch, transponder card, or destination selection control is necessary with this system. This new elevator technology will make hospital elevators more efficient for everyone.

Hammetchwant Lift, Switzerland

This breathtaking elevator, or lift as they say everywhere but the U.S., is the highest exterior elevator in all of Europe. It takes riders along a rock path between Lake Lucerne and the Hammetschwand lookout point above, creating amazing views.

Falkirk Wheel, Scotland

Not all elevators are for people!! This giant elevator was built in 2002 to transport boats between two canals. It is the only rotating boat elevator in the whole world!

Globen SkyView, Stockholm

The people of Sweden and tourists can enjoy taking a ride in a gondola made of glass that takes them over the largest spherical building in the world. The elevator takes the riders 426 feet above sea level and gives them a spectacular view of Stockholm.

Bailong, Zhangjiajie, China

This incredible outdoor elevator was built into a cliff. Riders take the elevator up 1,000 feet and get to view quartzite sandstone pillars.

Mercedes-Benz Museum Elevators, Germany

At this museum in Stuttgart, there is automotive memorabilia and one of the most unique looking elevator cabs. Sleek, pill-shaped elevator cabs bring passengers up the atrium to the roof.

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