Neighbourhood Watch: Service elevator a must for all buildings

Storage areas, laundry facilities, vanities in bathrooms, lockers, and double-glazing are only a few of the basic amenities that are often overlooked in the design of a property.

In addition to these items, we still do not see service elevators as a standard feature of apartment or office blocks. Over the past 15 years or more, other regions of the developed world have provided service elevators in residential and commercial multi-storey buildings and the practicality of this item needs very little elaboration.

The very obvious reason for the provision of a service elevator would be to facilitate the movement of furniture in and out of the premises. The service elevator is generally larger in overall dimensions but can be utilised for regular use when not required for more specialised transport. These elevators are commonly protected with padding to reduce damage to both the elevator and the items being transported. Service elevators are not only required for furniture movement but have other unique benefits which may have been overlooked by landlords and builders for years. Recently, we were advised of an incident where a tenant suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness. The building was not equipped with a service elevator. It was impossible for the ambulance team to carry her down 14 flights of stairs and equally difficult to transport her in a wheelchair in her current state. Unfortunately, there was no choice but to hold the unconscious patient upright and struggle to get her through the next stages of transport to the hospital.

The patient's discomfort was easily preventable. Service elevators are not only large enough to admit a short stretcher, but are also long enough to accommodate the patient.

At one time, expatriates were a transient group of people who often rented a property for a year and were unconcerned if they lived 'hotel style' during this period. Today, the dynamics have changed.

People settle for longer periods and, as a result, the demand for more modern and state of the art accommodation has evolved.

The government is doing its part to support this growth by facilitating payments to national utility companies such as the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and Etisalat through electronic systems.

Detailed feasibility studies are also being carried out for large development projects in order to more accurately evaluate market requirements. If the same efforts were carried out with smaller private projects, we would witness more properties meeting the specific needs of the potential tenants rather than the whims of the landlord. The ultimate result would be greater revenue and occupancy rates for the owner.

The writer is the UAE-based managing director of Better Homes LLC