Tall Buildings and Elevators

Historical Evolution of Vertical Communication Systems

João Miguel Serras Delgado Valente

Final Thesis for the Degree of Master in

Civil Engineering

Extended Abstract

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Abstract
This paper addresses the evolution of tall buildings in their relation with structural systems and vertical
communication systems. The main proposition is to take the historical development of structural solutions and
elevator solutions to understand how both these aspects have shaped tall buildings that are being built today.
Whenever deemed relevant these aspects are accompanied by brief description of social and economic context
that could contribute to a broader notion of the motives and restrains towards building tall.

For the purposes of the above stated, there is an initial presentation on what a tall building is, how it can be
defined and what aspects can contribute to that definition, afterwards a classification for the several systems
will be presented. Then the history of tall buildings is broken down into several chapters that were found to
carry significant relevance according to consulted bibliography; these chapters are defined in accordance with
major changes in the paradigm for the conception of tall buildings. To further illustrate this distinction some
short notes on relevant historical factors are given. Finally, conclusions are present regarding the parallels
between structural development and technical evolution of vertical communication.

1. Introduction
Tall buildings as they are today came as a product of need, mostly the need to address rapid urban growth by
supplying commercial and residential space. In their beginning in late 19 th century commercial use buildings
were the main trigger for construction development, as businesses took great advantage of being close to each
other and tended to concentrate in city centers. Consequently a great deal of pressure was placed on land
prices further enhancing the need to build higher [1].

The evident implications of resisting lateral loading, being one of the most decisive criteria in the adoption of
the structural form, are however just one of the many aspects the structural design team must account for.
When designing such state of the art buildings questions rise that cannot be treated lightly as in regular
buildings and therefore require the presence of specialists whose views are sometimes conflicting with those
of the structural engineer, and can influence to some extent the structural form [3].

Early planning stages are of great importance for integrated and efficient design, thus demanding
collaboration between all concerned parties, such as architect, structural engineer and services engineers [1].
Adding to traditional design teams, building tall creates demand for other specialists uncommon to low-rise
buildings.

These specialists are to integrate the design team and may influence, to a certain degree, the structural design.
It should therefore be acknowledged without any doubt that the full complement of parameters influencing the
structural system is not entirely in controlled by the structural engineer[4].

Vertical communication systems are key requirements to buildings both tall and low, having major influence
on a building’s daily operation as well as the buildings plan. In tall buildings, vertical communication

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becomes more relevant and implies the integration of elevator specialists to fully assess the building’s needs
and thus coming up with an optimal solution. As is the case of the structural system the elevator system is also
a distinct characteristic of tall buildings thus being a differentiating factor between medium and high rise
buildings [5].

2. Tall buildings and elevators: a criteria for tallness

An elevator service approach towards building height classification differentiates between low, medium and
high-rise buildings and mega-high-rise buildings [6] according to specific elevator needs.

To this purpose a low-rise building will be one where “someone able does not need the elevator to reach their
floor but if it is available they will invariably use it”, meaning 3-5 floors, mid-rise building means the elevator
becomes essential for occupants to use the building, which means about 8-10 floors and high-rise building
means there may be the possibility, meaning feasible alternative, of the building’s elevators being divided into
two zones, which could mean 15-16 floors [6], this describes the majority of buildings.

Tall buildings are differentiated from the previously mentioned regular buildings, and are addressed as either
tall buildings or skyscrapers if the building requires more than one zone of elevators – in practice this means a
building up to 60 floors - and very tall buildings or mega-high-rise buildings which would mean that the
building requires the use of one or more sky lobbies to guarantee proper occupant distribution, meaning more
than 70 floors [7].

It is now important to also discuss the service core as it is central to the present work . Service core should be
understood as a system built up of a number of individual components, each having a different function to
perform, and highly technical in nature [8]. These components are the facilities and services needed for
buildings very existence. These components are services such as HVAC installations, elevator systems, stairs,
storage rooms, and toilets and so on, with the necessary sub-services that are required for their proper
functioning: ducts, pipes, among others. Many times these services and sub-services are enclosed by shear-
walls or trusses which constitute the building’s core in a structural sense.This, however, is not always the
case. From addressing these characteristics the service core can be defined as “An element that gathers the
space necessary to provide visual, physical and functional vertical connections that work effectively to
distribute services through the building” [9].

Understanding what the service core is helps greatly to understand how important it is for the building and
why designers place such importance in its planning for the earliest stages of the design process [4]. The
service core is the buildings back bone for daily operations and many times for structural support. Apart from
its functional and structural importance, the service core should also be addressed from a financial perspective
and from the evermore important sustainability perspective.

3. Sustainability and tall building development

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Sustainability is one of the major issues considering tall buildings, they are perceived in public opinion, with
some reason, as big energy consumers [6], though the problems relate to all buildings, which represent 30-
40% of all primary use of energy worldwide [10]. Experts such as Powell and Yeang (2007) have drawn
similar conclusions claiming that “the tall building typology is the most unecological built form (…) when
compared with other built typologies it uses three times more energy resources and material to build, to
operate and to demolish. In reality, the tall building cannot be made completely green and having realized
this, architects should try to mitigate its negative impacts on the environment.” [8]. The service core is central
in the sustainability debate as it encompasses most of the services that account for a significant part of the
building’s operational energy consumption. The energy consumption associated with services such as heating,
ventilation, elevators and illumination are here considered as running energy, opposed to the energy required
to the building’s construction which is the embodied energy. Nevertheless, the main focus has been the
running energy, mostly due to the rising cost of energy [9] and since it is representative of the greatest energy
consumption associated with buildings. Embodied energy is also of extreme importance and should be
analyzed in design stages to better assess the advantages of energy saving strategies.

4. Elevator arrangements for tall buildings

As buildings become taller more focus is put on decreasing the number of elevators as regular elevator
solutions begin losing their effectiveness and cannot cope with the required service levels [11]. The several
solutions presented are proven solutions for elevator systems developed to allow good operational
performance in a cost effective way, though optimum solutions vary according to building and owner
demands, some solutions are more appropriate than others according to building height, use and intended
level of service. The following are some of the most commonly employed elevator arrangement solutions:

 Zoning
 Sky-lobby
 Double Decks
 Hall Call Destination
 Machine Room less
 Twin elevator arrangements

Zoning
In low-rise buildings it is possible for all elevators to stop at all floors without compromising performance, or
by keeping performance to acceptable levels. However, for buildings higher than 15 stories, in order to
maintain appropriate service levels, the number of elevators required would imply a very large core thus
making the building inefficient due to decrease on Net Rentable Area (NRA). One way that has proven to be
very effective in tackling this issue is the adoption of elevator zones to serve different floors, thus limiting the
total number of stops, therefore the name zoning. Though zoning can be applied in ways, for example

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elevators stop only in odd or even numbered floors, the usual arrangement involves zoning according to
height.

Sky Lobby
As buildings get higher, zoning becomes impractical and unfeasible as elevators start once again to take too
much space [11], as stated early the limit is of about 4 zones. Once buildings reach over 80 stories, sometimes
less according to building use and desired service, the sky lobby becomes a necessity and the elevator
problem becomes that of two buildings stacked one upon the other. Now there is no longer the possibility of
accessing all floors from the main entrance lobby, as some floors are to be only accessible through the sky
lobby, via an express or shuttle elevator, and then on distribution can once again be made by zoning. Shuttle
elevators tend to be fast and to provide good service though this arrangement implies that passengers will
need to change elevators to get to their destination [6]. The great advantage of the sky lobby is the core
optimization since all elevators do not have to serve the entry level;. the upper local zones are stacked on top
of one another, so the elevator shafts, generally, occupy the same "footprint" as the local zones below [7]. Sky
lobby arrangements can vary both in terms of elevator type, single or double deck, but also they can be top-up
or top-down, meaning local elevators can be dispatched up or down, respectively, from the sky lobby.

Double decks
Double deck elevators were referred in the previous elevator arrangements, they consist of two passenger cars
one above the other connected to the same drive system. The upper and down decks can serve two adjacent
floors simultaneously and permit doubling an elevators capacity while maintaining the same footprint [6].
Double decks imply careful planning of the lobby arrangement as they can bring many advantages but also
some inconveniences as pointed out by Fortune (1996) and shown in Table 1[6].

Table 1 - Double deck advantages and disadvantages

Advantages Disadvantages
1. Fewer lifts 1. One significant supplier
2. Smaller car sizes 2. Passenger misuse
3. Lower rated speeds 3. Zone populations must be large
4. Fewer stops 4. Balanced demand from even and odd floors
5. Increased zone size 5. Interfloor distance must be regular
6. Quicker passenger transit times 6. Slightly larger hoistways
7. 30% less core space 7. Increased pit and machine room loadings
8. Taller buildings on same footprint 8. Lobby exits need to be larger
9. Smaller lobbies 9. Special facilities for disabled access to “other”
10. Fewer entrances floor
11. Faster installation
12. Reduced maintenance costs

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The effective use of these elevators implies the use of sophisticated traffic control systems to better manage
elevator travels according to passenger demand and thus cutting on unnecessary stops, improving
performance and energy consumption [6].

The three following technologies are probably the most relevant innovation in elevator technology in the last
years in the specialists’ perspective; they are both directed towards traffic performance and mechanical
optimization and have opened new possibilities.

Call destination
Call destination or Hall Call Destination Dispatching is one of the most relevant technological innovations
addressing elevator control systems creating substantial benefits in the reduction of elevator stops and thus
optimizing elevator use. Conventional systems allow passengers to choose whether they want to go up or
down and only after entering the elevator cabinet choose the specific floor, this results in heavily loaded cars
where usually the number of floor buttons pushed is only slightly less than the number of passengers (Jong,
2008). Call destination allows for passengers to enter their intended destination in a “Destination Operation
Panel”, before entering the elevator pod, the requests are then processed using complex algorithms and
elevator travels are optimized towards gathering passengers who are going to the same floor, Table 2 shows
the effect of call destination according to traffic intensity it includes one manufacturer’s specific algorithm.

Table 2 - Hall call destination

Machine room less

Machine Room Less (MRL) was enabled due to the introduction of the Permanent Magnet Synchronus Motor
(PMSM) combined with variable voltage, variable frequency (VVVF) drive. The change reduced the size,
weight, heat output and energy consumption of traditional Ward-Leonard traction systems by up to one-half
[32] therefore the machine room became expendable.

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Twin elevators
Finally one very innovative solution that still has few applications is the TWIN elevator solution. Currently
being developed by one of the major manufacturer there have already been some successful applications of
this system such as the Main Triangle building in Frankfurt. This system allows for two elevators to operate
independently in the same shaft, this requires a sophisticated monitoring system and call destination system to
work effectively, but results are satisfying. According to manufacturer projections the implementation of
Twin can help decrease the number of elevator shafts needed by up to 30% [33],

This system can prove of extreme utility in case of modernizations in buildings where current system does not
comply with performance standards, as it allows for gains in service while utilizing the same shaft areas.

5. Historical evolution of tall buildings

To organize this chapter several factors were considered since tall buildings are tremendously affected by
social, financial, legal and technological context at the time of their development. Thus to get a full
perspective of what drove skyscraper development several periods were chosen according to building
typology and paradigm. Within these periods, when thought relevant, some sub-periods were also considered.
The technological innovations in each period will be analyzed and parallel aspects related with the industry
will be addressed to the extent permitted.

Considered periods
Five periods were considered according to the previously stated criteria:

 Birth of the Skyscraper to New York zoning law of 1916;

 1916 to Second World War (WWII);
 Post WWII to 1970’s Energy Crisis;
 After the Energy Crisis;
 Rise of an Environmental Consciousness (1997) to present day.

Birth of the Skyscraper to New York zoning law of 1916

This period considers the first “tall” buildings, which cannot be described as such by today’s standards but
were ground breaking in their day. It is particularly relevant for the technological innovation field, with
achievements such as the elevator and the steel frame - issues related with the symbolic nature of tall
buildings will also be addressed. This period is considered until the New York zoning law of 1916 since it
was key to a change in conception which would eventually spread to Chicago. This chapter focuses on the
cities of New York and Chicago.

1916 to Second World War (WWII)

This period, could be considered only until early 1930’s since the financial collapse of 1929 severely
hampered high-rise development, however new developments came only after WWII and therefore this period
was considered until then. Apart from the implications related with the zoning laws there was little structural

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innovation during this time which consisted mostly of taking contemporary steel framing technology to its
limit epitomized by the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, the latter holding the title of world’s
tallest building for over 30 years, though “Their enormous heights at that time were accomplished not through
notable technological evolution, but through excessive use of structural materials. Due to the absence of
advanced structural analysis techniques, they were quite over-designed.” [15].

Post WWII to 1970’s Energy Crisis

This period is deeply connected with the International Style in architecture; technically it is marked by the
development of the glazed curtain wall. During this period buildings energy consumption increased
dramatically due to illumination and also acclimatization. The concept was to create a building form that
would be reproduced regardless of the buildings location which eventually led to poor performing buildings
that relied exclusively on mechanical means for temperature control and illumination [10]. This energy
dependence became an obvious problem in the 1970’s with the petroleum crisis. This was also an important
period for structural advances which saw the introduction of new concepts such as tubular structures that
opened new possibilities for tall buildings, much aided by the developments in computational capacity which
allowed for more accurate calculations and modeling of structural behavior [15].

After the Energy Crisis

Though this period saw the introduction of some new technologies that improved the glazed curtain wall
system it is mainly important to illustrate a change in building paradigm which means building conception
and operation. The mass use of personal computers in offices started in this period bringing new challenges
both due to the computers energy consumption but also due the heat gains associated with computer use.
Authors consider this period as ongoing till today as many characteristics of these buildings still prevail in
today’s construction [10].

Rise of an Environmental Consciousness (1997) to present day

Though many buildings constructed today do not fall in this category it is very relevant for the purposes of
design orientation and sustainability which translates into new approaches that try to surpass regulation
demands in order to achieve more efficient buildings. This implies more creative and out of the box design
placing great concern on purpose, function, running and embodied energy, building energy generation. All
these aspects carry about further implications to all other building characteristics such as structure and the
elevator systems and are therefore worth analyzing.

6. Conclusions
Having presented a very concise history of skyscrapers focusing on motivation for construction, paradigm and
technological knowhow in the core areas of structural and elevator systems, this chapter proposes to draw
some conclusion on elevators and structures in their role towards the design and construction of better tall
buildings.

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Skyscrapers have come a long way since the late 19th century experiencing an evolution that makes early
examples of tall buildings seem small and unworthy. When observing Figure 1, where the buildings that stood
as the tallest are all depicted, the differences between the Home Insure Building and the Burj Khalifa are
evident. Technological achievements allowed for this evolution.

Figure 1 - Tallest Buildings in the World

Tall buildings could not have become what they are today without elevators and their support structures. This
is a fact that needs little explanation. From the documents analyzed in this thesis it can be stated that both
structure and elevator developments have both influenced and inspired tall building development, and hold
tremendous importance on tall building design. Elevators require space which is usually involved in core
shear walls which means that the actual number of elevators will affect the size of the core and does,
therefore, have implications in the actual load bearing potential of the service core. Same can be said of the
elevator bank’s positioning which may not take full advantage of the service core’s structural potentialThese
issues affect the service core’s structural relevance and therefore should undergo careful consideration, as
these will be some of the major direct constraints between elevators and structures. What has occurred
however are indirect interactions between both elevator and structural developments for tall buildings, and
currently great efforts towards integrating elevators and structures, as well as all other features, for more
rational, sustainable buildings.

Further constraints imposed by both elevators and structures were many times associated with financial
aspects that were considerably addressed in the previous chapter. As elevator service is something a building
cannot be constructed without, the service requirements in tall buildings can be overwhelming as a large
number of elevators takes up a lot of otherwise rentable area. Until the full development of the skylobby in
the 1960s, elevator area requirements had been one of the main constraints to tall building development.
Technology today allows for minimizing elevator space requirements by maximizing elevator service with
sophisticated operation control mechanisms.

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The 1960s were the great period for structural innovation as tall buildings were no longer exclusively
dependent on the steel frame or braced steel frame for support and were given a wider array of more efficient
alternatives both in layout and material. For service core load bearing properties the new structural
alternatives had different effects: for buildings with shear-wall structures, frame-shear wall combinations and
eventually tube in tube structures the service core would be structurally relevant providing significant rigidity
and carrying both vertical and horizontal loads. These types of structures are predominantly concrete
structures (tough there are also steel shear trusses shear wall systems) taking full advantage of the material at
the building’s rigidity level. However contradicting the structural importance of the service core were the now
called exterior structures, since as buildings became taller there is great advantage in placing elements for
lateral resistance in a peripheral position, therefore the inner structural core will tend to carry primarily
vertical loads, while an outer structural system will provide the building with its lateral resistance and
stiffness. As a result the service core will be less stressed which allows it to be smaller, or at least permits a
design not as constrained by structural behavior. Considering relevant buildings of the period the Willis
Tower’s service core has no structural function and the service Core of the John Hancock Building only
carries vertical loads [9], both buildings have steel tubular structures. Though this may suggest concrete
structures were more prone to take advantage of the service core as a structural element the correlation is
somewhat more complex, as the combination of structural systems and material would be determined
according to the intended building height which together with intended building use would also condition the
number of required elevators thus conditioning the size of the service core. According to the required size of
the service core including elevator and all other services, shear wall and inner tube solutions could be
calculated to analyze the actual possibilities of the service core for structural purposes which could then
influence the structural format to be adopted. In a situation such as the one described the structural solution
would be designed around the service core and therefore to some extent service core size and potential load
bearing properties should influence the overall structural solution. This situation would apply to “moderately”
tall buildings as according to the classification systems presented in chapter 2, concrete shear-wall structures
tend to be feasible for buildings up to 60 stories high.

Recent trends in tall buildings such as opting for mixed use instead of manly office use makes for less
demanding elevator service needs, which helps to make the service core size less dependent of the elevators.
Other trends such as procuring solutions for better natural ventilation and illumination have driven the service
core from the interior to the buildings periphery. These solutions not only introduce new variables to tall
building floor layouts but also contributed to further development of structural forms, the Commerzbank fits
as an example for the previously stated.

Current tall buildings dispose of vast technological options which allow for finely tuned buildings where all
features are rationally developed to obtain optimal performance. Each aspect related with tall buildings, being
architecture, structure, elevators, façade and all other mechanical aspects, are of high complexity and specific
of each building. The more technology allows, the more careful the design can and must be in order to take

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full advantage of its possibilities. Tall buildings, to a further extent than regular buildings, require greater
efficiency and careful planning deriving from their complexity and cost. As buildings cannot do without
elevators they should be developed to take full advantage of service core needs for structural purposes,
whether by relocating the service core or by allowing for the service core to minimize other structural needs.

Tall buildings are a need and will so continue to be as global population becomes ever more urban.
Demography, economy and will are to keep driving buildings higher and engineers and architects will keep
striving to make ambitions and dreams into feasible, sustainable realities.

7. Bibliography
1. Coull, A. and Smith, B. S., 1991. Tall Building Structures: Analysis and Design. Nova Iorque: Wiley-
Interscience
2. Gill, G., 2008. A tall, Green Future. The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings, [Online] 17 (5)
, pp. 857-868.
3. Gane V. , and Haymaker, J. (2009). “Benchmarking Conceptual High-Rise Design Processes,” ASCE
Journal of Architectural Engineering
4. FIB tg 1 6
5. CTBUH; Criteria for the Defining and Measuring of Tall Buildings
6. Barney, G. C. 2002. Elevator Traffic Handbook. Taylor & Francis Routledge. London
7. Fortune 1997
8. Chakraborty, A., 2008. Rethinking the role of service cores as a passive design tool in optimizing
operational energy of tall buildings. The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings - Special Issue:
CTBUH 2nd Annual Special Edition: Tall Sustainability, [Online] 17 (5), pp. 862-876.
9. Trabucco, D., 2008. An Analysis of the relationship between service cores and the embodied / running
energy of tall buildings. The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings - Special Issue:
CTBUH 2nd Annual Special Edition: Tall Sustainability, [Online] 17 (5), pp. 953-976.
10. Oldfield, P. et al., 2009.Five Generations of Tall Buildings: an Historical Analysis of Energy
Consumption in high rise buildings. The Journal of Architecture, [Online] 14 (5) , pp. 591-610.
11. De Jong J. 2008. Advances in elevator technology: sustainable and energy implications. In Proceedings
of CTBUH 2008—the 8th World Congress ‘Tall & Green’, Dubai, 3–5 March
12. Strakosch, G. R. and Caporale, R. S. (eds) (2010) Frontmatter, in The Vertical Transportation
Handbook, Fourth Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA.
13. CIBSE Guide D
14. Willis C. 1995. Form Follows Finance. Princeton Architectural Press: New York.
15. Ali MM, Armstrong PJ. 2008. Overview of sustainable design factors in high-rise buildings. In
Proceedings of the CTBUH World congress, Dubai

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