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click for info... New Construction AutoCAD Drawings Elevator Modernization Specifications Modernization Monitoring Forensic & Legal Work Elevator Surveys Mandated Inspections Maintenance Audits Accident, Fire & Water Damage New Construction There is a popular misconception among Architects and General Contractors that when a new building is constructed, elevator work should be planned towards the middle or end of the project. At this point in time, major construction work on the building might have started and changes to the designed layout are difficult or impossible to make. This is one of the reasons why compromises are made to the elevatoring aspect of design and most buildings end up being under or not properly elevatored. In actuality, elevators are an intricate and vital part of the design of the building, from traffic analyses, to planning the shaftway sizes and reactions. Therefore we feel that elevator / escalator design work should be moved closer to the beginning of the project. VSA has years of experience calculating expected building traffic to design, layout and construction administration. VSA is present from breaking ground to final finishes. Schaeffer Development, Brooklyn Schaeffer Development consists of three mixed use buildings (residential & retail). We designed the criteria for the one high rise and two mid-rise buildings that make up the project. VSA created the drawings and wrote the elevator installation & construction specifications. This project is undergoing construction presently. Return to the Top / Menu AutoCAD Drawings Planning is the back bone of any project, and drawings keep the plans organized. When designing an elevator system and laying out the vertical transportation system, precision is key. AutoCAD is a universally recognized standard in the real estate and construction fields, from Engineers & Architects to Facility Managers. We are one of the few consulting firms with a full time CAD person on staff, and rush drawings are our specialty. No project is too large or too small. NY Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn VSA designed the criteria, wrote the elevator installation & construction specifications and created the AutoCAD Drawings for two (2) glass elevators at NY Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. These two glass units run from the Atrium through a glass ceiling and upward in a transparent/translucent hoistway on the outside of the building. Return to the Top / Menu Elevator Modernization Specifications Vertical Systems Analysis, Inc. prepares modernization specifications based upon a comprehensive visual examination of the elevator and escalator equipment in a building or project. We ensure that all equipment is non-proprietary, and the scope of work meets the needs of the building and its owners. VSA Specifications cover the equipment from the machine room to the pit which includes the hoistway, hoistway equipment, overhead and the elevator cab. Once the Specifications are written, we will meet with you to discuss, clarify and fine-tune the scope of work based upon existing budgets and finalizing the list of prospective bidders. Having a specification written, ensures that the contractors are pricing the same scope of work, and sending it out to bid ensures competitive pricing. The bids go directly to the Owner or Property Manager thus ensuring the sanctity of the bidding process. We conduct interviews with selected contractors and recommend contract award. VSA assists with contract preparation and liaisons with your legal department to develop an Owner-friendly contract. We manage the drawing approval and fixture/cab selection phases and finally oversee the construction phase through completion of punchlists. 590 Madison Avenue, NYC The IBM Building at 590 Madison Avenue in NYC is one of the many projects VSA wrote the Elevator Modernization Specifications for. Nineteen high rise passenger elevators and two truck freight (tractor trailer) units were included in the package of this High Profile Skyscraper. This project proceeded with 100% occupancy and was smoothly executed from inception to completion. Return to the Top / Menu Modernization Monitoring Monitoring your elevator project is important, and overseeing the process is a job for the experts. While this service typically goes hand-and-hand with writing the Elevator Modernization or New Installation Specification, VSA can oversee a project that has already started or is near completion. We perform site visits to ensure the contractor is on schedule, approve the payment to the contractor and check for Code and Safety compliance. When VSA is involved in a job, elevators are installed above industry standards, and the installation endures for the long term with proper maintenance. 201 West 70th Street, NYC Vertical Systems Analysis, Inc. wrote the elevator modernization specifications and oversaw the complete installation of the new vertical transportation system for four (4) high rise passenger elevators at this residential tower. Return to the Top / Menu Forensic & Legal Work VSA possess unrivalled expertise when it comes to elevators and escalators. With almost three decades of experience in the elevator consulting business and two centuries of in house experience, we have the expertise you need behind you. Our staff has combined experience in all types of escalators, geared and gearless traction elevators to hydraulic elevators and truck lifts, as well as the old water lift units. Having someone with our knowledge on your side makes for a formidable legal team. The experience and qualified staff at VSA posses experience that is also unrivalled when it comes to the routine workings and most unlikely of problems with elevators and escalators. This makes us an ideal candidate for forensic work and providing expert witness testimony. Out track record speaks for itself. Most of our legal work is repeat attorneys. College of Mt. St. Vincent, Bronx We are currently performing expert legal services for the College of Mt. St. Vincent. This private learning institution is located in the Bronx and has 16 elevators. We have over a hundred projects where litigation was involved. Return to the Top / Menu Elevator Surveys To survey your elevator and/or escalator we visit the job site, collect information in regards to the existing equipment, check all machine rooms, and hoistways, measure various performance times and note any maintenance items we deem insufficient. Your report will tell you about the equipment you currently have installed, its age, overall condition and lack of performance, and will inform you of recommendations we have for the equipment both in terms of short term and long term recommendations (maintenance and modernization). We will provide you with a list of work and budget estimates to begin planning an elevator modernization (if warranted). Some elevator contractors would try to sell an elevator modernization or upgrade whether the building needs it or not. However, our surveys are aimed to the elevators performing better. Not all units need to be modernized and our written reports reflect that. 230 5th Avenue, NYC Located on 5th in the flatiron district, this fourteen (14) unit commercial building had one of our elevator surveys performed recently. We advised them on upgrades, deficiency in maintenance and performance, and the overall condition of all their units. Equipment in this building differed from AC automatic passenger elevators to manual DC elevators and street lifts. Return to the Top / Menu Mandated Inspections In 1981 New York City passed Local Law #10/1981 stating every elevator and escalator in the city of New York needs to be inspected by a licensed private inspection agency, such as VSA, within stipulated timeframes once a year. This requirement is on all types of elevators, escalators and moving walks whether they are brand new or ancient just as long as they are active in the City records. The purpose was to ensure safer and more reliable service throughout the City. Some consultants are hired by owners and real estate managers. Other consultants / engineers are hired by elevator contracting companies, which makes it virtually impossible for those consultants to provide owners and managers with objective non-bias opinions. This obviously results in a conflict of interest. It is against our company philosophy to never perform any services for an elevator contractor, so a conflict of interest does not occur. We perform thousands of mandated inspections yearly throughout the five boroughs of New York City. When we perform a mandated inspection you know you are receiving a truthful, unbiased and independent opinion about what's happening with your elevators and escalators. How safe are your units? The Flat Iron Building, 175 5th Avenue, NYC Located on 5th Avenue & 23rd Street at the intersection of Broadway, this landmark building is one of many landmark buildings that hires VSA to ensure its elevators are safe. Over the years this building has been transformed. Our technical expertise provided us the opportunity to inspect these elevators when they were original, after the major modernization and going into the future. We constantly update our skills to keep our technical skills sharp. Return to the Top / Menu Maintenance Audits Proper maintenance keeps your elevators running for decades consistent with their life expectancy. In todays competitive climate among elevator contractors is so great that more often than not proper and regular preventive maintenance is not being performed, thus reducing an elevators life expectancy, affecting performance and increasing shutdowns and entrapments. With proper and regular maintenance, adjustments and repairs, elevators can meet or exceed their useful life expectancy. Having VSA ensure proper maintenance is being performed is cost effective and our experience shows that overseeing a contractor ensures better service. Moreover, the value of the work would offset the cost of the audit. 125 Park Avenue, NYC Located near Grand Central Terminal in Midtown, 125 Park Avenue has seventeen (17) units in this commercial building. We periodically oversee the maintenance performed and create Maintenance Checklists to point out maintenance items we feel should be addressed as well as any Code deficiencies that arise. Return to the Top / Menu Accident, Fire & Water Damage From lawyers to insurance brokers, damage to personal property is a concern. Whether an unsafe elevator has caused a fall, a fire raced through your building or water leaked onto your equipment, you would want to get to the bottom of the situation to satisfy the requirements of your insurance company. The staff at VSA has the required knowledge and experience to evaluate the elevator(s) and furnish you with a detailed report on the situation that may have caused the accident, fire or water damage. VSA has investigated numerous claims for insurance companies and owners alike. We are currently handling accident cases and helping with claims against fire and water damage. We are available at anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 seven days a week if necessary. Return to the Top / Menu Printable Page Vertical Systems Analysis, Inc. / 322 8th Avenue - Suite 201/ New York, NY 10001 / Ph: 212-989-5525 / Fx: 212-989-6860