Elevator Upgrades Prompt Co-ops and Condos to Modernize

Louis Lipson
Principal,
Ethelind Coblin Architect

“A 3D model would help people get a better sense of what the doors would look like” 

Changes in the Department of Buildings code have many co-ops and condos scrambling to comply with the required elevator upgrades. A 14-story, 26-unit luxury co-op on the Upper West Side was confronted with that task — not only to modernize its entire elevator system but to replace all of its glass elevator doors. Dating back to the building’s construction in 1912, the doors had a cast-iron frame and were virtually fully glass, with a large pane divided into 10 sections — similar to a windowpane — that were set half an inch deep. Because glass elevator doors of this type are no longer allowed, the challenge was to create something solid and up to code that was still pleasing to the eye while also keeping with the building’s classical, neo-Renaissance style.  

Finding the Right Design — and Getting Building Buy-In 

Looking for inspiration, Louis Lipson, a principal at Ethelind Coblin Architect, explored pulling design elements from the decorative iron-and-glass partition that separates the vestibule from the lobby. “The iron had been left to weather and then sealed, which gave it a very unique character,” he says. “We also looked at textures and patterns from the pilaster columns projecting from the lobby walls.” Lipson considered a number of different materials, including brass and stainless steel, both of which are typical for elevator doors. “We went back and forth with the contractor doing the mechanical and cab upgrade, and decided on cold-rolled steel, the same material used for the base on which the doors slide,” he says. Similar to the vestibule’s decorative partition, the doors would be a very dark color and have a rusted finish and panels set an eighth of an inch deep, mimicking the original glass doors while complying with code.

The design was presented to the board members, who unanimously supported the proposal. But knowing full well that elevator redesigns can be a particularly heated issue among residents, the board wisely sought approval from all of the co-op’s shareholders, even though it was not required. There are two apartments per floor, and shareholders had treated their individual landings’ doors differently. “It was important to them that everyone bought into it, especially since people had been allowed to treat the doors on their landings differently,” Lipson says. Some were painted, others were stripped down to raw iron and lacquered, and some had replaced the original clear wired glass with patterned glass or mirrors. Not surprisingly, not all shareholders were pleased with having to replace such a unique feature.

Taking a New Approach to Winning Approval by Going 3D

Since the drawings of the proposed doors weren’t enough to convey the subtle design to shareholders, Lipson decided to create a model with a 3D printer. “It works just like a regular one, but instead of printing a single layer of ink, it’s printing very thin layers of plastic that are laid on top of one another,” he explains. The goal was to show people how the eighth-inch panel inset would mimic the vestibule door. “A 3D model would help people get a better sense of what the doors would look like because you can walk around a physical model and view it from a different perspective,” Lipson says. To give people a visual aid of what the finished doors would look like, “one side of the 10-by-14-inch model was painted to look like a cold steel door with a dark patina finish that was a little cloudy and uneven, which added even more visual depth,” he adds. The process and shareholder response gave the board the assurance to move forward with the project. 

Offering Shareholders an Option on Each Landing

To further convert shareholders, the other side of the model was painted white. “We wanted to retain the option for people to paint their doors on their landings,” Lipson says. “We explained that once the door is painted, it would be very difficult to remove the paint and patina it, whereas painting over doors with the patina finish was a lot easier.” The model was left in the lobby, along with a sample of the actual cold-rolled steel. “Everyone chose to go with the patina option, which is how the doors exist today on every floor,” he adds. “But like before, people can paint the doors to match whatever aesthetic they have on their elevator landing.”