Ever look up at a construction site and wonder, “What the heck is that?” If you happen to be walking by 333 East 38th St in New York City, the answer is a construction hoist and common tower platform!

A hoist is a temporary, high-capacity elevator on the exterior of a building used during construction. Before permanent elevators— or stairs, for that matter— are finished in a building, a hoist is the main way for workers and materials to reach floors high above street level.

Years ago, Platform Solutions asked us to design a custom modular system allowing up to six hoist cars to serve a single “common” platform. These towers can triple vertical access to a job site using the same number of building ties and curtain wall openings as traditional layouts. This reduces downtime for multiple trades, saving time and money as building heights increase. Usually, hoists are perpendicular to the building face, but in this project, the common tower rotated the hoist 90 degrees to optimize space on a tight construction site.

It’s always great to see our innovative designs continue to be used and reused in new ways. Thanks to PSNY for collaborating with us on another successful project!