Page 56 - September 2015 Digital Construction Opportunities

indoor design chrome press office going vertical urban indoors style person inside construction special focus-elevators & escalators number button doorway entrance architecture interior door contemporary arrow apartment panel reflection lift transportation building people floor moving hotel empty wall businessman waiting sign finger level top open down up metallic We eliminate silver elevator steel transport gate industrial corporate push lobby symbol shiny modern illuminated metal light control hall business close uncertainties in vertical transportation TAK Consulting Pvt Ltd is a fully integrated and independent vertical transportation consultancy based out of Mumbai offering services pan India. The firm offers services which include advising on project concept, design, execution and follow up to the building industry in the area of elevators, escalators and moving walks. TAK MATHEWS who is among the first Qualified Elevator Consultant in the world offered his perspective to SHRIKANT RAO. Your website describes your frm as a fully what we tell our suppliers or developers to industry – no one fully understands the integrated and independent building do – we are backed with hard core hands- signifcance of the trade and the elements transportation consultancy. Take us on field experience. We start with the that are involved. The problem is huge. through the meaning and implications of design phase, go through the specifying, If you look at some of the commercial that claim? tendering, execution and inspection and buildings, say at Nariman Point for If you look at elevating consultancy, it is even do accident investigation. Tat level example – it is one of the most expensive something which is mainly being done by of expertise I think does not exist in our real estate areas in the world – how many MEP consultants. It is sort of an added country at the moment. buildings do you see without queues for service they would give with their air using elevators or escalators. While it can conditioning, plumbing etc which as long You are saying that over 90 per cent of the be argued that Nariman Point is an old as the building’s size was small could be buildings do not have a clear scientifc development, newer buildings too do not manageable and didn’t matter much. But backing to their elevatoring... fare much better. I know in some places even once the buildings started becoming larger Yes, very few buildings in India already an allowance is given for reporting times to in size – both horizontally or vertically constructed or being constructed have a account for elevator waiting times. Tere and becomes more complex in structure, scientifc backing to their elevatoring. It are many places also where if you reach the the input and the depth of detailing that is not just the design of the elevators but lobby then they consider it as your in-time is required in the construction of such the focus also needs to be expanded to of reporting due to the long queues to access structures becomes significantly higher. installation and maintenance. For instance, the elevators. Such projects require a specialised approach you have got a well-designed building but if Nobody appears to recognise that in to establish the elevatoring. For all such the elevators are of inferior quality or not addition to the inconvenience of waiting, practical purposes, we were the frst in the installed properly, the situation will still badly elevatored buildings also add to loss. country to set up a specialised independent lead to many problems. Subsequently if it To illustrate, the average waiting time for consultancy focused on building is not installed or maintained properly, the elevators is about 10 minutes (morning up transportation and provide A-Z service in building will still face numerous problems. If peak + lunch time) when multiplied by the feld. In 2004 I did one or two projects the building core is not set right in terms of 1000 people totals to 10000 minutes a day on a freelance basis but since 2005 onwards number of hoistways, hoistway dimensions and over 45,000 hours a year Tat is a lot it has been a full-time assignment. Tere are etc. the building is doomed. While badly of money being wasted – a loss which will other consultants in India however why we elevatored buildings will lead to longer continue through the life of the building call ourselves as the only one ofering the waiting time and inconvenience, it also leads and is far in excess of any perceived savings. full extent of services and unique is because to the elevators getting over used and not In addition to inadequate numbers even we can roll-up our sleeves and execute being shut down for regular maintenance sizing has an impact – in a building without – this often leads to breakdown of the a stretcher lif how would you bring down systems. It’s a cycle which is vicious. If you an occupant requiring urgent medical don’t get right in the frst instance then it attention. Very few recognise the full extent will virtually ruin the entire building. of the long term consequences associated with a badly elevatored building. You are saying builders do not understand these concerns. In terms of lack of So in your view what are the faults that understanding what is the magnitude of need to be avoided? this problem across the country? Primarily we need to understand that I am not talking only of the developer, elevatoring is a science and not a thumb whether it is a designer or even the elevator rule. It is a very detailed science involved in 56 construction opportunities|sEPTEMBER 2015