An ongoing project is rapidly modernizing Duquesne’s older elevators, making them faster and safer as well as more reliable and energy efficient.
The University campus has more than 70 elevators, about 30 of which have been modernized in the past four years, with approximately a dozen more slated for upgrading in coming years. The project is being overseen by the Department of Facilities Management and carried out by Schindler, a worldwide elevator-engineering firm.
Maintenance Director Steve Kossert explained why the undertaking was necessary. Over the decades, whether constructing new buildings or acquiring existing ones, the University amassed a collection of elevators from nearly every major elevator manufacturer, Kossert said. With the oldest among them surpassing 50 years of age, replacement parts were sometimes scarce and expensive, so breakdowns meant downtime. “It comes to a point where you simply can’t get the parts,” Kossert pointed out.
In addition, elevator technology has improved and, coupled with reliability, the benefits of upgrading include energy savings, shorter waiting periods for riders, lower maintenance costs and increased safety.
Before the Towers’ six elevators were modernized, they utilized older technology. Like the building itself, the elevators were new in the late 1960s and, like most elevators of that era, they used direct current (DC) motors—then the preferred solution for precise speed control and maximum horsepower.
The University’s older elevators will get new AC (alternating current) motors to raise and lower the cars and computer circuits in place of mechanical switches. In addition, new lighting, flooring and paneling will be installed as well as the latest safety features, including ADA-complaint control panels and call boxes wired directly to the Department of Public Safety.
Elevator upgrades, Kossert stressed, are an ongoing endeavor. “Theoretically, you want to start thinking about modernizing elevators at the 20- or 25-year mark, and before you know it, our newest elevators will be that old.”
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