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1. Topic 2 : Principles of Building
Transportation System

2. Introduction
The general purpose of a building transportation
system is to enable occupant and goods to move,
or be moved, in a reasonably for comfortable,
quick, and efficient way. Hallways, staircases, and
elevator shafts (not the passenger cars) is also an
integral part of the physical building facility of the
building transportation system.
For large or multi-storey building, building
transportation system is designed to minimize the
occupant movement.

3. For example in the hotel, if travel between a
guest's room and other parts of the facility or to the
outside takes more time, the guest feels it
unreasonable or in convenient, he or she may
perceive the level of building transportation system
service is low.
But some facilities are designed so that guests
must walk past shops, restaurants and etc. as they
enter or leave the premises, as well as shopping
mall.

4. Types of transportation systems in a building
 Stairs
 Corridor
 Lifts
 Escalators
 Travellators and other mechanized handling equipment;
example dumbwaiter etc.
Stairs & Corridor:
 Can be made of wood, stone Metal, Reinforced cement
concert etc.
Lift:
 Is necessary when levels of floors are more than 4 or more.
Lifts are elevators used for vertical transportation of
passengers and goods. These are enclosed cars made of
light metal. The cage is operated in pulley system by power
driven motors. These may be manually operated or
automatic. Lifts may be of high speed or slow speed
according to situation and as required.

5. Principle of interior circulation
It is important to consider the principles concerning
vertical transportation to analyze the effectiveness
of devices which provide vertical transportation.
The circulation of people in the interior of a building
is a complicated activity. It is affected by number of
factors.
1. Mode (horizontal and vertical movement)
 People will be generally being walking horizontally,
except where they are using passenger conveyers.
They will change mode from horizontal to vertical
movement, in order to reach a higher or lower level.
To do this they will use stairs, moving walks and
ramps (passenger conveyers, escalators or lifts).

6. 2. Movement type (natural or mechanically assisted)
 People will move naturally when walking, and be
mechanically assisted when using moving walks
and ramps (passenger conveyers, escalators or
lifts).
3. Complications (human behaviour)
 The movement of people around building is
complex – because humankind is complex.
Individuals have their own concept of routes: their
own purpose for travel: their own level of urgency:
her own characteristic of age of age, gender,
culture, handicap etc. There is unpredictably in the
human behaviour

7. The interior circulation of a building
must be designed:
1. To consider all circulation routes
 These include principle and secondary circulation areas,
escape routes, service routes and waiting areas.
2. To provide clear and obvious routes
 Pedestrian should be able to see the route to take
perhaps assisted by good colour coded signs.
3. To ensure that the circulation patterns are rational
 An example is the avoidance of pedestrians passing
through a lift lobby, where other persons are waiting.

8. 4. To ensure incompatible types of circulation
do not coincide
 This refers to goods trolleys being pushed
across a pedestrian mall in a shopping
centre.
5. To minimize the movement of people and
goods
 This would bring associated activities
together eg. Sales & marketing: personnel
& training.

9. Building transportation locations
The design and allocation of portals (entrances,
doorways, gates etc), corridors, stairs and
mechanical handling equipment (ramps,
escalators, lifts etc.) must be coordinated in
such a way that:
 Free flow of people, goods and vehicles
 Occupy the minimum allocation of space
 Bottlenecks are prevented

10. The efficiency of the interior circulation is
dependant of the building shape,
tall/slender and low/squat buildings are
inefficient. The ideal shape is compact. The
factors which affect the circulation
efficiency are:
 The relative location of rooms
 The relationship of major spaces with
entrances and mechanical elements
 The importance of journey undertaken

11. Assignment 1 : Case Study
Case Study on Building Transportation
Systems :
Wisma Saberkas
Spring Mall
Wisma Satok
Wisma Hopoh
Parkson Riverside Mall

12. Quiz 1 : CB505 Building Transportation
Instruction :
Answer all the question.
1) Define the transportation system of the building. (2
marks) – CLO1(C1)
2) State the types of transportation system in the building.
(5 marks) – CLO1(C1)
3) State the consideration factor affecting the interior
circulation in the building.(3 marks) – CLO1(C1)
4) State the ideal building transportation system location.
(3 marks) – CLO1(C1)
5) State two (2) factors considered in designing the
building transportation system in the building. (2 marks)
– CLO1(C1)