Custom Designed Shallow-Pit Passenger Elevator for Balboa Theater
Shallow-Pit Passenger Elevator Custom Designed for 9.5” Pit
Patented Design Provides Code Required Refuge Space
San Diego, California
Gillespie’s task was to design a six-stop, ADA- and gurney-compliant passenger elevator with adjacent 90º openings, while leaving the existing structural footings intact. Gillespie’s biggest challenge was to design the elevator with a mere 9.5-inch shallow pit.
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Considered a cultural and architectural landmark upon opening in 1924, the Balboa Theatre has a rich and storied past, housing everything from a movie palace and vaudeville acts to retail establishments and U.S. Navy "bachelor quarters." These multiple transformations took their toll, however; decades of reconfiguration and neglect resulted in the building being slated for demolition in 1959. Fortunately, it was saved through private ownership and, in 2002, the City of San Diego allocated funding to restore its original elegance and grace, while simultaneously accommodating present-day safety codes.
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Although renovation had to include a gurney-compliant elevator, the building was constructed with structural footings just 9.5-inches below grade. Gillespie's task was to design a six-stop, ADA- and gurney-compliant passenger elevator with adjacent 90º openings, while leaving the existing structural footings intact. With the cost of a standard elevator pit deemed to be prohibitive, Gillespie's biggest challenge was to design the elevator with a mere 9.5-inch pit.
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Getting right to work, the engineers at Gillespie utilized our Shallow Pit Safety System–a patented design that enables passenger-elevator construction in extremely tight spaces, when the pit is only 8- to 12-inches deep rather than the standard 4-feet. This innovative system creates the code-mandated refuge space beneath an elevator for safe access to that area by using bumper devices that can withstand the car's full weight on impact.
Designed for applications constrained by specific parameters such as groundwater issues that prohibit underlying surfaces from being disturbed or restrictive architectural- or structural-related features (over or under an occupied space such as shallow footings), the Gillespie Shallow Pit Safety System ensures safe elevator maintenance and inspection. For example, during authorized pit access, the elevator access key parks the car above the first landing while the bumpers automatically rotate into position underneath. While maintenance and inspection are occurring, the elevator can only be operated in the "inspect" mode. After work is completed, the access key places the car back in service.
Unauthorized pit access activates the safety system, whereby the slightest pressure on the electric mat switches covering the pit floor causes the bumpers to rotate into the "on safe" position, rings an alarm bell, and renders the elevator inoperable. What's more, built-in battery backup keeps the system functional even during power failures.
Ultimately, in a situation where required refuge space seemed improbable if not impossible, Gillespie's Shallow Pit Safety System enabled the construction of Balboa Theater's custom passenger elevator to proceed smoothly.
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Elevator World 2010 Project of the Year (Category: Elevators, Modernization)
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Contact us at sales@gillespiecorp.com, call 413-967-4980 or visit www.gillespiecorp.com.