Panoramic lifts (glass elevators)

Yes. A panoramic lift can be installed as an add-on against the facade or in an atrium, with a steel-frame shaft. For an existing building this is often simpler than building a reinforced concrete shaft inside, but it requires a design and approval of the facade alteration.

The difference has three components: curved or large-format safety glass in the car, a steel-frame shaft instead of ready-made reinforced concrete walls, and non-standard doors along with the car frame. A car with one glass side costs moderately more; a round car glazed all the way round costs substantially more. Only a calculation based on the dimensions of the specific building gives an exact figure.

The car and the shaft enclosure use impact-resistant laminated glass (triplex) or toughened glass - glass that does not break into sharp shards. For curved cars the glass is bent at the factory to the shape of the frame and cannot be adjusted on site. That is why it makes sense to order a spare panel together with the lift in case of damage.

Yes, but it takes a different specification: shaft sealing, pit heating and drainage, frost-resistant guide rail lubrication, heating for the control cabinet and sometimes the car as well. Most often the problem is not the mechanics but water - meltwater from the facade finds its way into the pit if drainage was not designed in at the project stage.

When it is moved to the facade or into an atrium - yes. A conventional lift shaft takes up about four square metres on every floor, and in a retail or office building that space has a real rental value. But the saving is not free: you add the steel frame, the glazing and upkeep of the facade structure.