Elevator Pressurization in Tall Buildings

During a building fire, smoke can flow through elevator shafts threatening life on floors remote from the fire. Many buildings have pressurized elevators intended to prevent such smoke flow. The computer program, CONTAM, can be used to analyze the performance of pressurization smoke control systems. The design of pressurized elevators can be challenging for the following reasons: (1) often the building envelope is not capable of effectively handling the large airflow resulting from elevator pressurization, (2) open elevator doors on the ground floor tend to increase the flow from the elevator shaft at the ground floor, and (3) open exterior doors on the ground floor can cause excessive pressure differences across the elevator shaft at the ground floor. To meet these challenges, the following systems have been developed: (1) exterior vent (EV) system, (2) floor exhaust (FE) system, and ground floor lobby (GFL) system.