The appraisal of lift passenger demand in modern office buildings

Abstract

The number of passengers wanting to use lifts to travel to and from the lobby and between floors in a building has a significant effect on the quality of lift service experienced by each passenger. The traditional assumptions of lift passenger demand in office buildings are compared to measurements taken in modern buildings. The differences between traditional and modern patterns of passenger demand in office buildings are discussed. The significance of these differences on lift system design is explored. In office buildings surveyed, the daily pattern of passenger demand repeats itself with a high degree of consistency; buildings can be described as having their own demand ‘signatures’.

Practical applications: Designing lift systems based on modern traffic patterns and traffic levels will result in systems with characteristics that are different from those designed using traditional traffic expectations. Applying the traffic data in this paper will result in a more accurate prediction of a lift system’s performance. Control system designers can use the traffic data to design dispatcher algorithms that can better respond to modern traffic conditions.