Elevators in the Regents Drive Garage, Tydings Hall and the art-sociology building are being modernized as the university works to update older, outdated elevators on the campus.
The renovations, which include installing new wire ropes and improving fire alarms and operating panels and buttons, begin today on the fourth and final elevator in Regents Drive Garage. The repairs will give the elevators a longer life in addition to providing a more dependable service and a smoother ride, said Martin Culp, who manages the elevator shop for Facilities Management.
The modernization adds newer technology like infrared sensors to the elevators. In older elevators, the doors have to physically come in contact with someone or something to stay open. The installation of infrared sensors in the Tydings Hall elevator will prevent the doors from closing on riders.
The elevator in Tydings Hall was last improved in 1983, Culp said, and the repairs will extend its lifespan for an estimated 25 years.
A consultant hired by the university evaluates the elevators on the campus and determines which ones should be repaired first. The Regents Drive Garage elevators were selected because exposure to weather creates wear on the four elevators, Culp said. The renovations will make the elevators more dependable and cut down on minor “nuisance repairs,” Culp said.
The total cost of repairing the four elevators in the garage is $640,000. Repairs on the final elevator will take about 10 weeks.
The university also finished a $150,000 modernization of a freight elevator in the art-sociology building, according to Culp.
The university has 144 elevators in academic buildings, 32 in residential buildings and 10 escalators.
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