Passenger Elevator transformed the way we build. Buildings of just a few levels extended to skyscrapers because an elevator makes navigating multiple levels far easier for us to accomplish. In recent decades, development of the elevator has reached new heights. Today, passenger elevators are an integral part of most multi-level buildings, designed to recognize our destination and take us there safely in seconds.

Safety First

A transforming moment in the lifetime of the passenger elevator was the development of a safety brake by Elisha G. Otis in 1853. If a hoisting cable broke, this device was immediately engaged to hold the elevator in place. These days, elevators are fitted with intuitive safety features like overload sensors that prevent an elevator from responding unless excess load is removed or some passengers disembark.

Refreshing Air

Stepping into a passenger elevator we're not immediately thinking about the air we breathe. Often we're focused on our destination. Often we take the air conditioning in an elevator for granted. Without it, we would quickly notice how unbearably hot an elevator can be. Air conditioning in elevators is essential, contributing cool in summer months and warmth in winter, ensuring air is being circulated and passengers are kept comfortable.

A Quick Journey

Humans tend to be obsessed with time. We are considered tardy if we arrive late, thought of as wasteful if we spend too much time on a task. And for most of us, it's natural to want any time in a confined space like an elevator to be limited. No wonder then, that increasing the speed of passenger elevators is a constant focus of innovation, with many engineers coming up with grand plans. It is possible these days for elevators to be so fast they race through an elevator shaft at a rate of 3,313 feet per minute.