I know it's not an update but the cops just kicked several people out of the building that were apparently partying inside.
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I'm sure this is a dumb question but aren't elevator shafts almost always concrete or brick? I walked by this site the other day and it looked to me like the elevator shaft is on the SW corner of the building and is made of wood. Is that unusual or was I not actually looking at the where the elevator will be installed?
 
Not a dumb question at all. I hadn't thought of it before on this one. I'd say it's pretty unusual, but not unheard of. I recall being in one once and it felt kind of rickety.
 
outoftheice said:
I'm sure this is a dumb question but aren't elevator shafts almost always concrete or brick? I walked by this site the other day and it looked to me like the elevator shaft is on the SW corner of the building and is made of wood. Is that unusual or was I not actually looking at the where the elevator will be installed?
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Every building needs some kind of shear resistance in the four principal directions for stuff like wind and earthquakes. It also needs a fire protected egress/refuge. Especially on smaller floorplates, this is done with concrete shear walls around both the elevators and stairwell. It's relatively easy and rather efficient because it combines the uses, but it's far from the only way to solve these problems, especially on larger or awkward shaped buildings.

For the lateral resistance, there are common options like lateral bracing or structural masonry walls, and uncommon things like Steel Plate Shear Walls, and Mass Timber CLT Shear Walls, which are sometimes used for increased speed of construction. Elevator cores are then considered separately, this is very common on low-rise buildings with large floorplates. There's also tons of examples of fire protected assemblies that meet the rating required for egress, so those stairwells don't necessarily need to be attached to the elevator or shear core.

TL;DR - concrete is definitely the most common, especially for urban buildings with small floorplates, but there's tons of other options.
 
Do the rules apply for elevators if they are those low rise hydraulic types? The reason I ask is that I was once working on a house that was 4 stories with a hydraulic elevator and it was wood frame around the elevator core. It was a smaller elevator, maybe that's why?
 
Surrealplaces said:
Do the rules apply for elevators if they are those low rise hydraulic types? The reason I ask is that I was once working on a house that was 4 stories with a hydraulic elevator and it was wood frame around the elevator core. It was a smaller elevator, maybe that's why?
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Yeah, I think depending on the building type and fire suppression systems (e.g. sprinklers), it would give a requirement for separation between floor assemblies. Then I believe you can use the table below from the NBCC to determine which assembly you can use around the elevator:

For example, a 6-Storey Sprinklered Building can be made of combustible materials (wood), with floor assemblies that have a fire separation and fire-resistance rating of 1hr. From the table, you'd need a 1hr rated fire separation on the elevator. Any assembly that achieves that would be acceptable.

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There's tons of other rules for vestibules, emergency use elevators, smoke detectors, ventilation, and entire code just for elevator design, all of which would influence it. This is probably why they're commonly wrapped in concrete, because it's easier, but there's other ways to do it if you follow all the rules.

I'm more familiar with Part 4 of the Code, this is just what I found quickly, feel free to correct me.
 
Yeah with the wood frame, the patio noise might really permeate into the units. Either way, I feel like people moving into a location like that are gonna (hopefully) know what they're getting into. At least they're rentals, so people who don't like it can simply move.
 
outoftheice said:
I'm sure this is a dumb question but aren't elevator shafts almost always concrete or brick? I walked by this site the other day and it looked to me like the elevator shaft is on the SW corner of the building and is made of wood. Is that unusual or was I not actually looking at the where the elevator will be installed?
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Wood shafts are pretty common in this type of construction. Owner's think they are saving money by selecting wood instead of concrete block or steel reinforced concrete but in the end they are way more of a pain in the ass to put together.
 
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