Franklin Hall’s is one of the oldest and most historic buildings at Indiana University. When it was completed in 1907, its original use was as a library. This current remodel involved a complete gutting of the interior of the old building and adding a brand new wing on the back. Our task was to design a custom elevator that would straddle the old building and the new. The new building would have different floor levels than the old. Size constraints were significant as well. An elevator penthouse would not be allowed to preserve the architecture of the existing building.
Our Solution
A Machine-Room-less elevator was an obvious choice for this application, Machine-Room-less (MRL) elevator give you the compact package often necessary in older buildings with the benefit of greater efficiency, speed and travel than a comparable hydraulic elevator. Because floor heights were different for one building to the other, this elevator required both front and rear door entrances. Our engineers gave extra attention to detail on clearances with the door equipment because of the small distance between each landing alternating on each side. The owner chose a partial glass elevator cab, giving passengers a birds eye view of the historic stone with the new modern glass and metal.
