Traction Machine Room

With the more recent development of the machine room-less elevator, it’s easy for traction machine rooms to be overlooked. Nevertheless, we can’t forget about the machines rooms that have been the standard for quality and the only choice for those high-rise buildings we all love to snap photos of.

The traction machine room can come in many forms. Generally, building type and code will determine what type of machine room is built before construction even begins. Some buildings boast about wide amounts of leasable space and can easily fit a large machine room while others prefer their machine room to be located at the top of the shaft.

Different forms of machine rooms can include:

• Overhead Machine Room
• Adjacent Machine Room
• Basement Machine room
• Basement Adjacent Machine Room

Though the location of your traction machine room can change, the list of equipment that is needed will not. Since we are strictly speaking about traction applications, your machine room will include ropes or belts, a controller, machine, sheaves, drives and more.

This is in contrast to a hydraulic elevator which functions using pressure and hydraulic fluid in a piston system. Its machine room will largely contain the power unit and controller.