THIS MONTH IN ENGINEERING | The Rise of Vertical Transportation
- Rebeka Zubac
- Jul 14
- 2 min read
Moving people between levels is one of civilisation’s oldest design challenges. The earliest lifts or hoists date back to the 3rd century BC, powered by humans, animals, or flowing water. Ancient Greeks used them in amphitheatres, while Romans employed them to move goods within fortresses and warehouses. But these systems weren’t for people and they weren’t safe.
That changed in 1853. Elisha Otis unveiled a safety mechanism at the New York World's Fair that would stop a lift from free falling. The following year, the first passenger elevator was installed in a Manhattan department store. It redefined urban design. For the first time, upper levels weren’t a burden, they were an opportunity.
As cities grew upward, so did lift technology. Hydraulic systems gave way to electric traction. In 1880, German inventor Werner von Siemens introduced the first electric elevator. By 1889, the first commercial versions were in use, quickly surpassing steam and hydraulic models in safety and speed. Innovations like automatic shaft doors (patented in 1887) and group control systems helped shape the elevators we rely on today.
The early 20th century brought skyscrapers and with them, the need for lift zoning, express banks and better dispatch. Post–World War II advances in electronics refined elevator controls. Computers began managing call patterns and timing. The elevator was no longer just a tool, it was a system.
Today, vertical transport is fully integrated into how buildings function. Lifts operate without separate machine rooms, recover energy through regenerative drives, and use data to improve both performance and maintenance. In tall buildings, lift design influences everything from core configuration to how tenants experience daily movement.
At Goldfish & Bay, our role is to ensure lift systems support the building’s overall design intent. We analyse traffic demand, spatial layout, and user flow to recommend vertical transport solutions that are practical, efficient, and aligned with project goals.
🔗 Sources:
Otis Archives, History of Safety Elevators | Elevator World Magazine | “Rise of Skyscraper Lifts" | Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) | KONE, The Evolution of Elevator Technology
📷 Images:
Elisha Otis, Demonstrating the safety brake | The Otis elevator passenger car schematic | Building in New York, which was the first office building to feature passenger elevators as part of its design (installed in 1870 by Otis Brothers & Co). | Werner von Siemens portrait | Werner von Siemens' first electric elevator prototype from 1880 | Elevator operators in the 1940s, a time when vertical transport relied not just on technology but on human coordination and service
