Elevator Malfunction

A bump, lights flicker and elevator stops…
Lana: (presses the alarm) Hello? We're stuck in the elevator. Can anyone hear us?
Tom: Press the ground floor. I'm Tom, by the way. I live on the 7th floor.
Lana: I'm Lana. I live on the 3rd floor. Dramatic way to meet your neighbors, huh?
Tom: Yeah, definitely. How long have you lived here?
Lana: Oh, the lights just went out. Let's hope this works.
Voice from Speaker: The elevator should be resetting now. Please remain calm.
Tom: There we go! The lights are back.
Lana: And the doors are open! We made it.
_____________
Voice-over
Could have been a power fluctuation, safety malfunction, wiring problem, who knows. Management were concerned and apologized, then called the elevator company. So, stay calm, press alarm or use cell phone, try pressing other floors, or maybe press another floor for a minute or two to reset the system.

Elevators and Laterators

Original Otis Idea

Thinking laterally…

Elisha: Nice elevator, this. Windows, aircon, TV, mirrors, seats. Fancy.

Ernie: Far cry from the original Otis.

Elisha: If elevators were as good as this, it would be nice to take a trip all over the city using only elevators.

Ernie: Something like a public elevator system?

Elisha: Mmm. Elevators that in places went sideways, and in other places went up.

Ernie: A kind of lateral elevator? Maybe you could call it a laterator.

_____________

Voice-over

An idea is born. 

First: a city tour of its elevators. 

To map out the laterator linkage lines.

...

Elevators in an Educational Environment

Next Elevator: 18 minutes

Architect and School Administrator discuss plans for a new building after an earthquake has compromised the current school building...

Adminstrator: We have 4,800 students and we need about 50 classrooms.

Architect: And you only have a 900 square-meter building site. You’re talking about a 20-storey building.

Administrator: We’ll need two or three elevators.

Architect: With all due respect, you’re looking at elevator waiting times of five minutes or more. Disruptions to classes will be major. I suggest at least eight elevators. But in such a small tower, half of it will be elevators.

Administrator: Couldn’t we use escalators?

Architect: Then there’ll be no classrooms. The whole building will be taken up with escalators.

___________

Voice-over

Schools buildings on a downtown campus on limited space are tricky to design.

There’s a temptation to construct a tower block for economic reasons.

But a school is not a company office where people enter in the morning, with movements during the lunch hour and then an exit in the late afternoon.

A school has class changes every hour or so.

Fewer elevators mean long waiting lines, lateness increasing, maybe absenteeism occurring.

Architecture influences behavior.

...