{Re}habitat

Dumbwaiters are a practical, time-saving appliance and are used in today’s residential and commercial buildings to facilitate the transportation of goods from one floor to another. Goods may include firewood, food, laundry, documents, equipment, books and mail, among others. The first known use of a dumbwaiter dates back to the Roman Empire; dumbwaiters were still in common use and assisting servants at Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello, Virginia.

As the use of elevators has grown and their performance has been improved to provide safer, more dependable, and more efficient travel for passengers in multi-story buildings, so too have elevator controls been improved. The operation of the modern-day elevator is very complex, involving strict safety requirements. As a part of an elevator's equipment, the controls must accommodate several types of passenger requirements: VIP service (firefighters and medical personnel), restricted access, non-stop service, and peak demand needs. Elevator controls also need to feature modes of operation for fire response and maintenance.

Wheelchair lifts, also referred to as platform lifts, are vertical elevating systems with a platform designed to transport a single passenger between floor levels. Some manufacturers provide units that can travel up to a maximum of 14 feet, but shorter vertical distances (less than one floor) are typical. Wheelchair lifts are typically provided as a prefabricated, self-contained system that can be located indoors or outdoors. They can be installed in an enclosed vertical shaft to provide weather protection, if necessary, or they can be left unenclosed. Like traditional passenger elevators, the wheelchair lift system must meet all the requirements of the ADA.

Trash chutes evolved as a sanitary and economical means of collecting the refuse generated by building occupants in mid-rise and high-rise buildings. The word chute is derived from the French word meaning to fall or drop. Chutes are tubes through which objects slide from a higher to a lower level by means of gravity. There are linen chutes used by hospitals and hotels; construction trash chutes used to handle construction debris in multi-story construction sites; and trash chutes used in multi-story condominiums, apartments, and dormitories. In a trash chute application, the bottom of the chute below the discharge door is a steel container typically located in the trash room. The steel container can be a fully automatic, hydraulically operated compactor or a small, simple cubic yard steel container. Recent developments by many manufacturers have made possible a collection system that allows for the automatic separation and collection of recyclable materials.