spring 2011 | arc 606 architecture design studio 3 | faculty: Mark Shepard

s h u c h i s i n h a

crowdsourcing the city

elevator usage in crosby

This project is about the usage of elevators. It is to find out ‘what drives people to take the elevator?’. Elevator is not just another feature in a building, it is about vertical circulation. I am amused about the different parameters that drive the users of a three (or four) story building to use an elevator, either on a regular basis or otherwise.

Survey process:

Survey was done in the elevator for 3 times a week from 9 am to 9 pm. The days of the week were:

Thursday Friday Sunday

The reason for the selection of these particular days were:

a) The two year students have thier studio on the third or the highest floor level of Crosby hall.

b) I wanted to have atleast two week days in my survey

a) The three-and-a-half year stu-dents have thier studio on the second level of Crosby hall.

b) Friday is the last day of the week, hence the enthusiasm is at a different level.

c) I wanted to have atleast two week days in my survey

a) Its a weekend and I wanted to have either of the weekend days in my survey.

b) People get back to studio work on Sundays after enjoying the Friday evening and Saturday.

The survey was done by sitting in the elevator voluntarily.

Everytime some one entered the elevator, I filled out a survey for by questioning the elevator user while they reached thier destination. The form was:

I based my survey on teh following parametrs:

Age Fitness Time Gender

Results:

I analysed the collected data on the basis of:

a) Age of a user - students or facultyb) Fitness level of a userc) Time- of the day and weekd) Gender of the user

The comparison and data analysis:

a) Gender

Fitness level amongst male users Habit of taking the elevator by male users Direction of the elevator usage

Elevator usage on thursdays Elevator usage on fridays Elevator usage on sundays

Fitness level amongst female users Habit of taking the elevator by male users Direction of the elevator usage

Elevator usage on thursdays Elevator usage on fridays Elevator usage on sundays

b) Time of the day

Fitness level of the morning users Males-Female users Habit

Time of the week Direction

Fitness level of the afternoon users Males-Female users Habit

Time of the week Direction

Fitness level of the evening users Males-Female users Habit

Time of the week Direction

c) Fitness level of the users

Male-Femal who excercise Age Time of the Day Habit Direction

Male-Femal who don’t excercise Age Time of the Day Habit Direction

d) Time of the week

Thursday-users fitness level Male-Female users Time of the Day Age

Friday-users fitness level Male-Female users Time of the Day Age

Sunday-users fitness level Male-Female users Time of the Day Age

Frequency & Distance

Distance travelled by the elevator on any given day

Frequency of elevator usage during the course of 12 hours

Reasons for not using the elevator

Outcome of the survey

Excercise Slow elevator Claustrophobia

Age-Student users Day- Thrusday Time- Afternoon Gender- Male Fitness-No

modelling the system

The model of the system was to represent the inter-relationsip of three basic parameter I choose which played a crucial role in the system. The three parameters were:

a) Gender dependencyb) Time of the day dependencyc) Fitness level of a person dependent

To model out the system I made 3 attempts:

a) First attempt:

I tried having the three parameters depend on one anaother which coul be represented by the length of the wire pulled to move a measured weight by a certain distance, which could be measured by the measuring scales on the either side. But due to the materiality I failed in this model.

b) Second attempt:

Once I got the right materials in place to represent my system, I discovered that it was a very affective system. It had a lot of flaws and was unble to show the inter-relationships and dependancy I wanted to represent.

Hence I again tried to get the components of my model system right to be able to represent the system correctly. The basic components of a moving pulley are:

Length of the rope travelledto pull the weight up

The diameter of thepulley wheel

The wight attached to be pulled up by the moving pulley

c) Third attempt:

Male

Female

Male/ Female

Morning & Evening for MalesAfternoon for Females

Afternoon for Males

Afternoon for Females

Ruler measuring the Lenght the rope pulled to rise the measured weight

1 ‘ off the ground

Datum line1’ off the ground

Weight

transposition- Bike Hike

Similarity between Bike usage and elevatoe usage

Limited to certain people of the building

Limited to certain people of the society

Usage influenced by time of the week and time of the day

Habit dependent

Weather/ season influences the

usage

Age dependant

Usage dominated by male users

Fitness dependant

Hence I finalised the Bike usage to be the most appropriate transposition. Both are dynamic systems and overlap in a lot of areas as shown above.

To proceed with this I did information study online, listning to court hearings on Bike Usage in NYC. I went through a lot of statistics with different modes of transportation and comparison over the year.

From 2008

2009

20%to

4,731

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

60th street Brooklyn Queens

13,294

2008

2009 increase

6,462

Site Study

To carry out this more effectively, as site study was necessary. I choose and limited my self to the West side be-cause the West side was one potential area where I could find all the four different kinds of bike pas which are present in NYC.

Hence I choose a weekend day and a working day, hired a bike and went up and down West side. The pictures below show the four different kinds of bike lanes in NYC.

Along the Hudson- dedicated and saperate bike

lanes

Along 106th street- designated

bike lanes

Along Cnetral park and 10th ave- only signage indicating bike lanes

On Broadway- dedicated and protected bke lanes

Bike parking present condition

Bike Signage

Three main problem:

a) Bike Parking

Elevation

Section Blow up Section

View

A1 B1 C1 D1 E1

A2 B2 C2 D2 E2

A3 B3 C3 D3 E3

A4 B4 C4 D4 E4

A5 B5 C5 D5 E5 Enter

Cancel

Credit/ Debit Card

Cash

Verify Card

Status

Insert cash

Bike Parking frame structure Bike on the frame structure Operating machine

Bike frame structure in real scenario

Portability

b) Cars in the Bike Lanes

Chornological of the process Bikes with camera attached

The camera can be issued by a Bike management auhtority. This camera is easyly fixable at the front handle bar of the bikes. Once the bike is in the bike lane (only), it will detect the car in front of it and start recording. The car’s license plate can be captured, sent via internet to the DMV Traffic Voilation Authority. Unless the car was not being parked, it will get a ticket. This has another advantage apart from the cars and cabs to be out of bike lanes, it will help keep the biker in bike lanes only as it seems to be a big problem in NYC.

c) Pedestrian- Bike crash

Use of Piezo electric pressure sensors

200 ft. 4-5 seconds

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Pavement Surface

Slot saw cut intopavement �lled with silicon

Peizoelectric Sensor

Epoxy

Connected tothe sensors underthe bike pads

Road Surface

Connected tothe sensors underthe pedestrian pavement

Section- Under the side walk Section- Under the Bike lanes

Use of Peizo electric sensors

Pressure

Impact Cap

Preload Stud

Housing

Ampli�er

Quartz Element

Charge Collection Plate

Mounting Hole

+V C

Le

Co Ri

Ce

RiCo

Two Peizoelectric sensors connected in Series

L = Inductance due to the seismic mass and inertia of the sensorC = Inversely proportional to the mechanical elasticity of the sensorC = Static capacitanceR = InsulationV = Voltage

eo

Bike

Pad

Pede

stria

n Pa

vem

ent

Peizo electric sensors

Electrical drawings of the two sensors attached in series

4 -5 seconds

1 second

Bike Lane

Pedestrian Side Walk

Bike Lane

Pedestrian Side Walk

Model

Renderings showing the use of Peizo electric sensors in a real scenario

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Scope of Improvment:

a) I can look at the project from a very different point o view still keeping the bike lanes in mind.b) I can look at the improvement of bike lanes from a very urban scale. I can bring about changes at the city level, and re-designing the steet system on NYC.