Elevators in high-rise buildings are a necessity. They move people without noticeable waits, transport staff and materials, complement the building design, and enhance the building’s market reputation. Elevators must operate safely and seamlessly.

When buildings are designed, architects enlist the assistance of elevator specialists to determine the proper number, grouping and type of elevators. This approach ensures adequate capacity and provides appropriate waiting times without providing too many elevators. …

Hot-dip galvanizing provides a cathodic, barrier, and zinc patina protection of structural steel from corrosion. Structural steel put through the hot-dip galvanizing process goes through a series of chemical cleaning steps leading up to the final step of being completely immersed in an 830° F bath of molten zinc.  The heat effect on the steel, the viscosity properties of the cleaning solutions and zinc, and the resultant metallic zinc coating, requires certain design parameters be met to ensure the steel after galvanizing performs precisely as the engineer intends it to. …

Mechanical anchor systems are commonly installed in historic masonry materials despite the lack of manufacturer-specified design values for this type of substrate. Scaffolding lateral supports, signage installations and telecommunication mounting systems all use these mechanical fasteners in natural stone materials. …