First, there is math to be done. How many people will use the building? Figuring out the number of people that are going to use a building can admittedly be a tough calculation to get right. It’s all speculative and the decision might be based on things like how many businesses are calling the building home. An office building may need multiple elevators, especially if several businesses are in the building.

The estimated population of each business will be determined, partly, by the size of the business. The final estimation of the building population will help establish how many elevators should service the building. There should also be a determination on how long is an acceptable wait time for an elevator.

Passenger wait time is a big deal for elevators in office and commercial buildings. Many people are likely to be pressed for time. An elevators system can be designed to serve the highest number of people with longer wait times or a lesser number of people with shorter wait times.

There are also codes and regulations to consider. There are building codes, building inspections and safety guidelines to deal with and follow. Each additional elevator means another inspection.

After the determination of how many elevators are needed, focus will turn to the design of the elevators. There will be many options and designs to choose from, all in hopes of making the commercial building efficient and safe.