June 9, 2006

Movin' on up: Ellison elevators get an extreme makeover

The passenger elevators of the Ellison Building are one of the busiest areas of the hospital, making more than 6,000 trips daily to transport hundreds of patients, visitors and employees. As the building's original elevators, they have been showing signs of wear and tear.

The MGH Buildings and Grounds Department recently embarked on a multi-phase project to upgrade these elevators, which will improve response time and make routine maintenance easier. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held June 1 to mark the completion of the first phase — which included the replacement of outdated controllers and the completion of the first new elevator cab.

"In order to improve the elevators' response times, we used technology to make them work better," says Chris Longchamps, of MGH Buildings and Grounds. "The new elevator controller moves the elevators to each floor as quickly as possible."

During peak times, the new response times are 60 percent faster than previously. Once the upgrades of the passenger elevators are completed — which will take approximately six months — the service elevators also will undergo improvements.

From left, Russ Wallace of Buildings and Grounds, Jean Elrick, MD, senior vice president for Administration, Chris Longchamps and Bob Gallagher, both of Buildings and Grounds