What Will The Post-Covid Elevators Of The Future Look Like?

With the impacts of the global pandemic starting to be seen around the world and all sorts of working practices having to evolve and adapt in order to facilitate a ‘new normal’ modus operandi, the question must now be asked… what will the elevators of the future look like?

Social distancing guidelines in the UK are such that a two-metre distance between people must be maintained, which means that lift use is sure to be affected. But buildings aren’t likely to be made any smaller, so elevators will still very much be in existence, but usage is likely to be staggered and fewer numbers will be able to use these facilities at any one time.

In terms of design, we’re likely to see smarter systems rolled out so that building managers can stagger usage more effectively, as well as the likes of disinfection systems, kick buttons and touch-free technology.

Building design will also need to factor in the long-term requirements of lifts, as it will be difficult to make certain changes later down the line. It could well be that central staircases are included in buildings, while elevator capacity could be determined based on population, capacity and waiting periods.

For now, however, building managers and passengers need to prioritise hygiene and cleanliness, so more regular cleaning may be required to reassure passengers, while installing hand-sanitising stations could be advisable.

Putting up posters reminding people about hand-washing regimes and the spread of infection could also prove useful in this regard.

For help with passenger lifts, get in touch with KEP Lifts today.