GSA Courthouse Management Group
Mechanical Lift Analysis
Millwork enclosure and gates; and
Equipment access panel finishes plus edge conditions.
The hydraulic system motor and its related electronics should always be located outside
of the courtroom environment in an adjacent electrical or communications equipment
closet.
It appears that problems with the gate interlocking system result from the system being
continuously powered and overheating. Project specifications must include the
requirement for wiring the gate interlocking system to allow power shutoff when the
system is not in operation. The electromagnetic latch engagement at all access gates and
the related electronics/controls of the system must be extensively tested before
Substantial Completion of the project and acceptance of the system.
Specifications should require that the supplier identify and contract with a qualified
service provider in the regional area of the installation in order to eliminate dependence
on extremely remote sources of assistance and replacement parts.
CODES AND STANDARDS ISSUES
The consolidated most stringent requirements, detailed in Section Two, address the
following design conditions:
Net platform size;
Controls locations;
Gate dimensions;
Enclosure height requirements;
Running clearances;
Platform/landing interface tolerances; and
Platform grab rail requirements.*
*Recommend working with agency representatives to eliminate this requirement.
CONCLUSION
It was apparent that all the GSA staff, courts representatives, and architects of the 16
courthouses visited during the Analysis had put forth a very good effort to accommodate
the mechanical lifts into the courtroom environment. Some had gone to extraordinary
lengths to make the appearance of the lift as subtle as possible. In many of these
instances, however, the good intensions have resulted in making the preparation for use
and operation of the lift a complicated and time-consuming process.
The recommendations drawn from this Analysis, especially the development of detailed
design and performance criteria, should help all those concerned to better plan for the
HDR Architecture, Inc.
Section 1-3