56 | WWW.ELEVATORWORLD.COM | August 2011

NYC Hotel Intercontinental Subway Entranceby Douglas W. Boydston

Developer Tishman Hotel &Realty LP, in developing prop-erty at 44th and 8th streets inNew York City (NYC), was re-quired to provide accessibilityupgrades to the existing sub-way entrance. This entrancewas partially underneath thecorner of the tower the com-pany was going to construct forHotel Intercontinental. Accessi-bility could not be achieved byusing one commercial elevatorbecause of existing site condi-tions, including the location of

a sewer line running throughthe space beneath the interme-diate landing, the structure re-quired to support the sidewalkabove and the location oftracks underneath part of thespace. Thus, it took two piecesof equipment to achieve full ac-cessibility.

Handi-Lift, Inc. was hired bygeneral contractor John Civettaand Sons, Inc. to install a liftwhere there was limited over-head, limited maneuveringspace for approach and a max-

Douglas W. Boydston is founder and,

since 1990, president of Handi-Lift, Inc., a

firm specializing in customized vertical-

and inclined-platform lifts, and residential

and stairway elevators. Boydston has writ-

ten several articles for ELEVATOR

WORLD on accessibility and presented

programs on the topic to numerous indus-

try groups. He is a past president of the

National Association of Elevator Contractors and has served on

its Accessibility Committee; served on the United in Toronto

2005 committee; and is a member of the Elevator Conference of

New York, Elevator Safety Inspectors Association of New Jersey,

Accessibility Equipment Manufacturers Association, main commit-

tee of the ASME A18.1 Safety Standard for Platform Lifts and Stair-

way Chairlifts and the ASME Board of Safety Codes and Standards.

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Continued

imum pit depth of 2 in. The unitwould need to be serviceable inthe demanding NYC subwaysystem, where standard verti-cal platform (wheelchair) liftsjust are not capable of holdingup. Factors such as metal dust,power washing and 24-hour-a-day use by not only those withmobility impairments, but alsoby anyone who wants to take aride means that to put a verticalplatform lift into this environ-ment requires a new perform-ance standard. Designing tominimum safety standards justis not sufficient to meet the de-mands of this environment.The Metropolitan Transporta-tion Authority (MTA) insists ona level of serviceability and per-formance that Handi-Lift hadnot encountered in other mar-kets for accessibility equipment.

Heights Elevator, Inc. in-stalled a commercial elevator

Top: The Vandalism Proof Products T1250 ADA phone

Above: Lift-U’s shop, where the system was mocked up

Left: The access panel

Opposite page: Side view of ramp leading to lift

58 | WWW.ELEVATORWORLD.COM | August 2011

that runs from the sidewalkoutside to the intermediatelanding. A vertical platform liftfrom that intermediate landingthen provides service down tothe track level. This keylessvertical platform lift was one ofthe first ever installed in an ac-tive NYC subway station.

Lift-U manufactured the ele-vator, which features a can-tilevered, twin-screw, direct-drive system that was beefedup to meet the project specifi-cations, including a 10,000-cycle test under full load. Thecustom stainless and glass enclosure was designed by InDetail, Inc. and built by INABuilding Shop, Inc. in Brooklyn,New York. Before bringing it tothe site, Handi-Lift mocked upthe entire system at Lift-U’s shop.

Plan and elevation dimen-

NYC Hotel Intercontinental

Subway Entrance Continued

closure (as required by code).The glass can be removed fromthe outside if it needs replace-ment. The MTA specificationalso included anti-graffiti filmon both sides of all glass pan-els.

The aforementioned drivesystem was chosen by MTA be-cause it is a direct drive withoutthe use of hydraulics or ropedhydraulics. The motor and con-troller with uninterruptiblepower supply are contained underneath the upper landingsill. The platform itself is struc-tural, and the drive systempicks the lift up from the carsides. The deck is 3/4-in.-thickaluminum attached to the bot-tom of the car sides, enablinginstallation of this heavy-duty liftin only a 2-in. slab depression.

All the electrical connections

sions had to be accurate downto the 1/4 in. so the lift could bereleased into production intime to meet the constructionschedule. The deadline neces-sitated a release into produc-tion long before finished con-crete was poured. The difficultycame in predicting the elevatorand controlling the schedule ofinstalling steel and pouringconcrete. Even with care andplanning, the floor-to-floor fin-ished area increased by 1 in.Eventually, Handi-Lift was ableto make the necessary adjust-ments to the lift system in thefield.

The enclosure frames are 2-in.stainless tubing with channelsfor 1/2-in. safety glass. Theglass is set to the inside of theframes, so there are no pinchpoints on the inside of the en-

to the remote hall stations,phone line, MTA LiftNet moni-toring system, electrical powersource, etc. had to be in con-duits laid in before the concretewas poured, so all electricalconnections were terminatedin the space under the upperlanding sill, hidden from view.Service of the unit requires re-moval of the stainless panelunder the upper landing frominside the car or under the car ifin the upper landing position.

The AC/DC disconnect forthe power source with batterybackup system and disconnectfor the power door operatorswith a ground fault interrupteroutlet were placed in an accesspanel at the upper landing forease of access and service. The

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2-HP drive motor is totally en-closed non-ventilated andthree-phase. The control systemis a variable-frequency drivewith a programmable-logiccontroller.

The lift is configured for twostops, straight through, for atravel of 51.5 in. at a speed of0.10 fpm with a 750-lb. capacity.The Americans with DisabilitiesAct (ADA) phone is a Vandal-ism Proof Products T1250, dis-tributed by Janus, and the powerdoor operators are Tormax TTXIIlow-energy overhead opera-tors. The overall project wasdesigned by Gensler Architectsand engineered by StantecConsulting. Installation of theaccessibility equipment wasachieved in July 2010. �

Below: A Tormax TTXII low-energy overhead door operator

Opposite page (left): The top level of the platform lift in use

Opposite page (right): The upper landing with door open