TALL BUILDINGS

HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL CIRCULATION

HORIZONTAL CIRCULATION
 Horizontal circulation

Horizontal circulation in a building may comprise access routes

through open-plan areas, walkways, corridors and lobbies.

The overall arrangement of access routes should be logical,

understandable, useable, and as direct as possible in terms
of providing access to key facilities.

Travel distances should be minimised, although this of

course will depend on the nature and size of the building. A
well-designed building layout, with clear circulation routes
that are easy to follow will benefit everybody.
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Changes of level within a storey should be avoided if at all possible. Where this
is not possible in an existing building, the installation of a ramp, passenger lift
or platform lift may need to be considered and designed to be accessible.

All circulation routes should be well maintained, free of obstacles and have
adequate headroom. Windows should not open into circulation routes in a
manner that would cause obstruction or reduce corridor width.
 Potential obstructions or hazards should be adequately guarded and visually
highlighted. The width of circulation routes should follow the guidance for
corridors below.

Walkways typically provide an internal access route within a building or a link

connecting one or more adjacent buildings in a large complex, such as a hospital or
airport.

Enclosed walkways may bridge a road and link two buildings at first floor level or
above.

Walkways are often lengthy and should incorporate seating at regular intervals to
enable people to rest. It is also recommended that handrails be provided the full
length of walkways and on both sides to provide support and directional guidance.

The width of walkways should follow the guidance for corridors below. However, it is
likely in many circumstances that a greater width will be required in order to
accommodate the number of people expected to use them.

Corridors
Corridors in buildings accessed by members of the public should have a
recommended clear width of 2000mm, to enable people to move in both
directions and pass each other with ease.
Figure 2.2 Clear space requirements for corridors.

public buildings 2000

other corridors min 1500 Key

A. Outward opening doors such as doors to accessible toiltets to be

B door recessed. The door recess to equal to the width of the door
width
B. Corridors in public buildings to be 2000mm wide. Other
corridors to be minimum 1500mm wide with passing places
A
C. Radiators and other wall mounted items to be recessed
D. Duct or store; doors that are normally locked may open
600

outwards, but should be clearly signed and protected when

in use
E. Projections such as column or pipe ducts should be
C
permanently guarded
F. Passing places to be provided to corridors less than 1800mm
wide and to be minimum 2000mm long and 1800mm wide
2000
D
E
F 1800
1200
min
 Vertical
Circulation & Services
 Vertical circulation is the means by which building occupants access
specific areas of a building, including: internal stairs. internal ramps. elevators.

Element of Vertical circulation:

1. RAMP.
2. STAIR.
3. ELEVATOR.
4. ESCALATOR.
Stai
r
 Medium of travel which connects two
consecutive horizontal surfaces.
 A complete arrangement of steps, stringers,
newel posts, hand rails, balusters, etc.
 Easy and quick access to different floors with
comfort and safety.

• a) Every high rise building Have minimum 2 number

of Staircases.
b) Width of staircases varies from 1 m. to 2 m.
Requirements of a good
stair
Stairs should be safe and easy for everyone to
use.
• They should be clearly visible and easy to identify.
• Width of a stair (minimum 90 cm in residential use).
• Length of flight (maximum 12 steps ).
• Pitch of stair (should not exceed 40 degree and
should not be flatter than 25 degree).
• Head room (should not less than 2.14m).
• Materials.
• Balustrade to ensure safety.
• Landing (should not be less than the width of stair).
• Avoid winders and extra materials. Use optimum use
of materials.
• Step proportion.
 Classification of
stairs

1. Straight
stairs

2. Dog-legged
stairs
 3. Open-newel
stairs
4. Quarter turn newel
stairs

5. Three Quarter Turn Stair

:
6. Bifurcated 7. Geometric 8. Spiral
Stair stairs stairs
Wooden Stone Metal
stair stair stair
R.C.C Brick Glass
stair stair stair
 Limitations of stairs for high
rise
• All step risers should
be solid.
• Open risers can be a
source of visual confusion
and are disconcerting for
many people to use.
• Spiral stairs and stairs with
tapered treads should not
be used, as they are
much more likely to cause
slipping.
• Spiral stairs create problem
as the force is more in
highrise .
 Elevator
An elevator is a hoisting and lowering mechanism equipped with a car or platform that moves along guides
in a shaft, or hoist way, in a substantially vertical direction and that transports passengers or goods, or both,
between two or more floors of a building.

• Considered as a requirement in all building over three storeys

• Minimum standards of service – one lift for every four
storeys with a maximum distance of 45m to the lift lobby
• Floor space estimates and car capacity can be based on an
area of 0.2𝑚2 per person

Passenger elevators-
Designed to carry people between building floors. Their capacity is
determined by the need of the specific building
and it can vary between 5 and 25 peoples.

Express elevators-
They do not service all floors, but instead only selected parts of the building. Most notably they move
passengers from the building lobby to the top floor/sky lobby.

For express elevators, which make no intermediate stops, intervals of 30 to 35s may be considered acceptable.
Car speeds used vary with height of building: 4 to 10 stories, 200 to 500 ft / min; 10 to 15 stories, up to 700
ft /min; 15 to 20 stories, up to 800 ft /min; 20 to 50 stories, up to 1200 ft /min; and over 50 stories, up to
2500 ft /min.
 According to Hoist
Mechanism
1.Hydraulic Passenger Elevator
Hydraulic elevators are elevators which are powered by a piston that travels inside a
cylinder. An electric motor pumps hydraulic oil into the cylinder to move the piston.
The piston smoothly lifts the elevator cab.
Advantages:
• The absence of overhead machine room,
• Pent house, traction equipment
• Elevator Load is carried by the ground not
• By the structure
• Hoist way is smaller due to absence of counter
• Weight and its guide rail.
• Essentially there is no lifting limit.

Disadvantages:
• Operating is expensive is higher due to absence of counter weight
• This are limited to low rise (maximum 60ft)
• Speed is low, ride quality is inferior
• Can not be used in High-rise Building
 According to Hoist
Mechanism
2.Traction/pulley passenger Elevator
Traction lifts are the oldest and most versatile type of lift.
They basically consist of a lift car and a counterweight
attached to separate ends of a cable which travel over a large
pulley wheel called a Sheave at the top of the lift shaft.

Much higher travel speed

Applicable on low rise, mid rise and high
rise Strictly mechanical
Most common for high-rise Gearless
models up to 825 ft

There are two types of traction lift

a) Gearless Traction Lift
b) Geared Traction Lift
 Gearless Traction
Elevators
• Gearless technology makes the tallest buildings in the
world possible
• These elevators typically operate at speeds greater than
500
feet per minute (2.54 meters per second)
• Hoisting ropes are attached to the top of the elevator
• Gearless traction elevators have the wheel attached directly
to the motor.
• Gearless traction elevators are capable of speeds up to 2,000
feet per minute
• They have a maximum travel distance of around 2,000 feet
so they are the only choice for high-rise applications.
 Geared Traction
Elevators
• As the name implies, the electric motor in this
design drives a gear-type reduction unit
• These elevators typically operate at speeds from 350
to
500 feet per minute (1.7 to 2.5 meters per second)
• Carry loads of up to 30,000 pounds (13,600 kgs)
• An electrically controlled brake between the motor
and the reduction unit stops the elevator
• The maximum travel distance for a geared traction
elevator is around 250 feet.
 According to building
height
A- Low-Rise buildings (1- 3 stories):-
Buildings up to about (1 to 3) stories typically use hydraulic elevators because of
their lower initial cost

B- Mid-Rise buildings (4 -11 stories):-

Buildings up to about (4 to 11) stories typically use Geared Traction Elevators

C- High-Rise buildings (12 + stories):-

Buildings up to about 12+ stories typically use Gear-Less Traction Elevators

According to elevator location:-

1.Outdoor Elevator (Inclined 2.Platform
elevator) Elevator
 According to Building
types
 Hospital elevators.
 Residential /domestic elevators.
 Industrial elevators.
 Commercial elevators.
 Parking buildings elevators

According to special
uses:-
 Handicapped elevator
 Grain elevator
 Dumbwaite
Dumbwaitersr
are small freight elevators that are intended to
carry food, books or other small freight loads rather than
passengers.
• They often connect kitchens to rooms on other floors.
• They usually do not have the same safety features found in
passenger elevators, like various ropes for redundancy.
• They have a lower capacity, and they can be up to 1 meter
(3 ft) tall.
• Control panels at every stop mimic those found in passenger
elevators, allowing calling, door control and floor selection.
 Elevators in Single-Purpose Buildings
The maximum 5-min periods may be 13.5 to 16.0% of the population, depending on the type of
occupancy. If traffic volumes are high, occupancy of the building should be carefully balanced against
elevator requirements.

Elevators in Government Buildings

Population density often may be assumed as one person per 140 to 180 ft2 of net area.
The 5-min maximum peak occurs in the morning and may be as large as 16% of the
population.

Professional-Building Elevators
Since crowding of incapacitated patients is inadvisable, elevators should be of at least 3000-lb capacity. If the
building has a private hospital, then one or two of the elevators should be hospital-type elevators.

Hotel Elevators
The 5-min maximum occurs during checkout hour and can be about 12.5 to 15% of
the estimated population, with traffic moving in both directions.
The service elevator quantity is 50 to 60% of the passenger elevator quantity.

Apartment-Building Elevators
Traffic flow at that time may be 6 to 8% of the building population in a 5-min period
Typically, a 2500-lb elevator with a 9-ft clear ceiling height can be relied on to carry
most furniture.
 ESCALATORS
Escalators, or powered stairs, are used when it is necessary to move large numbers of people from
floor to floor. They provide continuous movement of persons and can thus remedy traffic
conditions that are not readily addressed by elevators. Escalators should be viewed as preferred
transportation systems whenever heavy traffic volumes are expected between relatively few floors.
Escalators are used to connect airport terminals, parking.

Maximum rise 21 ft 4 in (NCE model)

Dimensions for Escalators

• Minimum depth of tread in direction of travel—153⁄4 in
• Maximum rise between treads—81⁄2 in
• Minimum width of tread—24 in
• Maximum width of tread—40 in
• Maximum clearance between tread and adjacent skirt panel—3⁄8 in
• Maximum distance between handrail centerlines—width between balustrades plus 6
in with not more than 3 in on either side of the escalator

Escalator Speeds and Capacities

Escalators typically operate at 90 or 120 ft /min, as needed for peak traffic.
Standard escalator widths are 32 and 48 in. Manufacturers rate their 90-ft /min units at
corresponding capacities of 5000 and 8000 persons per hour, although observed
capacities, even in heavy traffic, rarely exceed 2000 and 4000 persons per hour,
respectively. Although 120-ft /min escalators will move about 30% more volume, they are
rarely specified because of the potential for adverse litigation.

Structural Considerations in Escalator Installation

Floor-to-floor height should be taken into account in determining loads on supporting
members. Generally for floor-to-floor heights of less than 20 ft, the escalator truss need be
supported only at top and bottom. Increased vertical rise can create the need for
intermediate support points. A structural frame should be installed around the escalator
well to carry the floor and well way railing.
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