MRL Installation Advantages

The costs of MRL installation in terms of both contractor time and materials are less than those associated with traditional elevators for the following reasons:

• MRL installations require fewer construction materials and less work time: No well holes to be drilled; no pits to be waterproofed; no requirement for a structural machine- room slab. Some product lines, it should be noted, do require beam attachments (see "MRL Design Considerations," above).
• Some models may be installed from the ground up, thus eliminating the need for scaffolding.
• Some MRL installations do not require a crane to hoist machine or control equipment to the penthouse floor or to hoist a structural machine-room slab as required for traction elevators. This increases safety and lessens the project- management challenges inherent in some elevator designs. For instance, hydraulic elevators may require a crane to place the plunger and cylinder in the well hole.
• Installation procedures for MRL technology are highly visible and therefore offer more control over the work environment.

Maintenance

Some manufacturers suggest that maintenance contracts should depart from the traditional criteria that determine a maintenance schedule. Instead, they propose that new agreements use performance as the measuring stick. This allows the owner to create a customized maintenance agreement.

Many leading elevator consultants urge their clients to secure long term maintenance pricing when soliciting new equipment bids. This method of procurement will ensure a competitively priced maintenance program, as well as allow for a beneficial life-cycle cost.

 

 

EOS twenty one, a residential complex in Alexandria, VA. Courtesy of KONE Inc.

 

 

 

 

Karin Tetlow writes frequently about architecture and construction.