[01] THE REQUIREMENTS
Alpine Property Group was converting a 1940s warehouse into 68 residential lofts and needed the two existing units to serve residents rather than freight.
The building had two machine-room-less units installed during an earlier partial renovation. They were serviceable but scoped for light commercial use, with no ADA-compliant fixtures, no phone monitoring, and door timing set for a loading dock rather than residents carrying groceries.
Ownership was also converting the building's use classification, which meant the units had to satisfy residential code requirements they were never designed for. Door restrictors, emergency communication, firefighter recall, and cab lighting all needed to be brought current before certificate of occupancy.
The complication was sequencing. General construction was running floor by floor with residents scheduled to move into the lower floors before the upper floors were finished, so the elevators had to serve construction traffic and new residents at the same time, on the same cars.
[02] The results
Two units brought to residential code while the building was under active conversion
[03] THE WORK
Both units are complete and inspected, with final punch items scheduled around the building's remaining construction phases.
Both cars received new controllers, ADA-compliant hall and car fixtures with braille and audible signals, door restrictors, two-way emergency communication with video, and new cab interiors selected by the developer's design team. Door timing and dwell were reset for residential traffic patterns.
We staged the work one car at a time so the building always had a working elevator for both construction crews and early residents. Protective pads and hoistway barricades stayed in place through the entire conversion, and both cars were cleaned and re-inspected before turnover.
Category 1 testing passed on the first inspection for both units.
[04] Testimonial
“They worked around a construction schedule that changed every week and never once told us it couldn't be done. Both cars passed inspection first time.”
Michael Grant
Director of Facilities, Alpine Property Group
