Design of Evacuation Systems for Elevator Evacuation in High-Rise Buildings

Abstract

As tall buildings are becoming more common there is a need to examine alternative evacuation strategies. In response to this many new high-rise buildings are equipped with evacuation elevators. Traditionally, elevators have not been used for evacuation and people have been instructed to avoid using them in fire emergencies. It might therefore be quite challenging to get people to use elevators for evacuation. If evacuation elevators are to be perceived as an attractive option people must be given appropriate information and guidance. In the following paper, previous research is examined in order to identify the information required to convince people to use evacuation elevators. In addition, a theory that can aid the design of evacuation systems, i.e., the tools for conveying the information, is presented and applied. Finally, a research strategy for developing and testing new evacuation systems is presented.