From 2015-17, Urban Toronto and its sister publication, SkyriseCities, published a series titled “Explainer,” which delved into concepts related to urban planning, architecture and construction and, well, explained them. The publications recently announced the series’ return, with “Explainer: Vertical Transportation (VT) — Elevators” as the topic. While VT facts — hydraulic versus traction, accessibility requirements, what determines a building’s number of elevators — are very familiar to ELEVATOR WORLD readers, the publications’ latest “Explainer” provides great information for laymen or young people considering careers in VT. Included in the piece is an explanation of the world’s earliest documented elevators (600-lb-capacity units used in ancient Rome to hoist animals), complete with a film of a newscast with video of a refurbished Roman lift; a handy TK Elevator graphic describing the differences between traction and hydraulic; and a look at VT trends such as boutique condominium towers in Toronto proposing a (sometimes much) higher-than-usual elevator-to-person ratio. Innovations, such as the double-deck elevators serving Toronto’s Scotia Plaza, and why they came about, are also explored.
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