Going up

The reason for this is that the elevator shaft needs to be sized correctly according to the building's needs, lest its functionality be severely compromised.

Galbraith emphasises the importance of bringing in experts early on in the design stages. "Once we get into schematic and they start looking at systems within the building, at that point the VT consultant wants to be on board," he says.

"He can provide some basic guidance during the schematic stage as to the number and size of shafts and some layouts just to help the architect sketch out the core."

The core, with its VT systems, mechanical and electrical rooms, and staircases, effectively acts as the spinal column of a building. A poorly functioning core-complete with logjams of people and insufficient space for facilities-leads to a poorly functioning building.

Compounding the problem is the fact that the core takes up valuable space that could otherwise be leased, which is critical for clients looking to maximise their ROI.

Yousef Shalabi, director of business development for Otis, illustrates how even a small reduction in core size can lead to big profits for a client. "Say you're saving 40-50 ft² on the core per floor," he explains.

"Even at US $1000/ft², that's $50,000 per floor. If you have 50 floors, that's $2.5m additional sale."

Top tips

With 2.5 million reasons for getting the right design, it's worth looking at how exactly architects can provide their clients with the very best arrangement for VT.

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