No_2_April_and_May__1939 — Page 44

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Hong Kong Builder

SHELL HOUSE

Lift Modernization in Hong Kong

SHELL HOUSE. HONGKONG,

Flevator Cars & Entrances AFTER M BEING “ATION

Before and after the modernization of the Lift Cars and Entrances in Shell House, Hong Kong

THE passenger traffic in many of the older Hong Kong

office buildings has increased considerably since the. lifts were installed and in order to provide adequate vertical transportation, extra lifts have to be installed or, where space will not permit, replacement of existing machines by modern elevators. There has been a great improvement in passenger lifts within the last few years and greater carrying capacity is possible within the limits of the existing lift shafts. This is owing to improved methods of control, higher car speed, rapid and automatic opening and closing of car and landing doors and adequate advance signals so that passengers are ready to enter or leave the cars immediately the doors open.

The old style of open grille enclosure and collapsible landing gates has been replaced by solidly enclosed shafts and steel sliding doors. In addition to the increased fire prevention thereby provided, dust is excluded from the apparatus in the shaft and power for automatic operation can be applied to the entrance doors.

The Asiatic Petroleum Company has been one of the first to make provision for the increased traffic require- ments of their building and have completely modernized the passenger lift service by the installation of three Waygood-Otis Signal Control machines.

The machines and control system represent the last word in vertical transportation and the car speed of 350 feet per minute is attained within a few feet with remark- ably smooth acceleration and deceleration. The lift at- tendant presses buttons corresponding to the floors indicated by passengers entering the car and moves a

SHELL HOUSE, HONGKONG Elevator Gari A. Fattanger BEFORE MODÉRHİZĄTIÓN -

switch which closes the doors and the car starts, stopping automatically at each floor in sequence. When the car stops the doors open automatically and close again when the attendant moves the starting switch. Waiting pas- sengers on landings press an up or down button and the first car going in the required direction stops to pick them up without any action on the part of the attendant. By