“Up and Then Down: The Lives of Elevators”, 2008-04-21 ():
[Profile of elevator safety, technology, and economics: the history and present day of elevators, interwoven with a story of a man trapped in an elevator for 41 hours.
Elevators are remarkably safe and over-engineered, and make skyscrapers, and hence dense cities, economically possible. Balancing elevator space with tenant space is a critical part of elevator design, as is routing between floors and figuring out the exact socially-acceptable density of passengers.
Elevator technology continues advancing, driven by ultra-tall skyscrapers like the Burj Khalifa. Nevertheless, the standard elevator design is so simple, energetically-efficient, and safe that it’s hard to improve on.]