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January 2013 Reprinted from ELEVATOR WORLD
Category
Project
Year
of
the
2013
Accessibility Systems
7
but a carriage follower solved that issue. With a 3:1 ratio, the follower runs guided within
the central support tower and controls the traveling cable by keeping it in tension through-
out the lift’s travel.
Another problem was not enough space beneath the lift’s platform to accommodate a
bridging platform. For passenger safety, a safe running clearance between the lift and
landing is essential. To overcome this problem, the lift design allowed for the landing en-
trance to move toward the lift. By doing so, the lift was linked with the landing, closing the
large gap at the landing floor.
To provide stability to the central tower support as passengers enter and exit while the lift
is at the ground floor, a mass-tuned damper mounted in the head of the central supporting
tower acts against any oscillation to ensure a stable platform. A stainless-steel circumfer-
ence ring at the ground floor provides the running clearance and interfaces the lift with the
building’s floor finishes. Twin pedestals on either side of the entrance at both the ground and
first floors house both the landing pushes, and a photoelectric sensor that detects obstruc-
tions within the lift entrance.
The curved-glass car doors proved to be the project’s toughest challenge. Mounted on a
curved track and supported and driven from below within a confined space, obtaining stable
travel and synchronization of the center-opening panels was time consuming and required
several design changes along the way.
Installation
Shipped from Bangkok, the lift arrived in subassembly form. Major components were
placed into position via the ground floor and lowered into the pit via a gantry system supplied
with the lift equipment. After assembly and fitting of all guides, hydraulic pistons and acces-
sories to the central support, the completed tower frame was aligned and plumbed.
Abu Dhabi Presidential Palace
Continued
The lift parked at ground floor of the grand entrance of the palace
