EM – There is a famous saying: Everything happens for a reason. Like the story of the railway industry has nothing to do with the chariots of the Roman Empire, or the traditional Vietnamese food tray with the elevator cabin door?
Where does the distance between 2 train tracks start?
1,422 m is the standard American railway gauge (width between two tracks) and this size has also been used by many countries for hundreds of years. The question is why is this number?
Some argue that it comes from the axle distance between the two wheels of the Roman Empire chariot. Is it a coincidence or is there an optimal calculation in terms of physics and math?
The size of railroad tracks in the US is said to have originated from the war chariots of the Roman Empire
The first military roads in Europe and England were built by the Roman Empire to serve their armies. The Roman battle chariots were all the same in terms of wheel spacing, about 1,422 m. This size of the tanks is explained from a technical point of view as being large enough to accommodate two war horses, just enough for the vehicle to be flexible at high speeds without tipping, tilting, and limiting damage for warriors.
George Stephenson, known as the “father of railroads”, while examining some parts of the Roman wall where chariots once passed, he discovered that deep marks had been worn in the stone. When he measured the distance between them, he found it to be about 1.4 m. Trusting the Romans to adopt this dimension only after extensive experience, he decided to use it as a standard in the construction of his railway lines. And since that time, this parameter has become the standard in the UK and USA.
It can be said that the railways built centuries ago were not only calculated to meet the technical, mathematical and physical factors but also imprinted with the history and culture of a country or large territory.
Similarily, what relationship will we see between the size of the traditional Vietnamese food tray with the width of the elevator car door?
Why do home elevator cabins usually have a certain minimum size?
Tens of thousands of Vietnamese families are using elevators, but surely few people ask the question, how wide is the home elevator car door and why is that?
The width of 70 cm of the cabin door comes from the diameter of the traditional Vietnamese tray?
According to European construction standards, the area of the home elevator car door is usually not wider than 1.7 m2, the size of the cabin door is about 70 cm. According to experts, home elevators mainly serve the purpose of loading people, but the average shoulder width is about 50 cm, so the door must be at least 60 – 70 cm wide. That size is enough for a normal man or woman to get in and out without having to dodge.
Currently, most elevator companies have a standard cabin door width of 70 cm and a height of 210 cm. In some specific cases, the minimum width of the car door is regulated to be 90 cm so that wheelchairs of people with disabilities can easily get in and out.
It can be understood simply, in Europe, the size of the car door is based on scientific calculations and is specified by standards.
In Vietnam, home elevators have their own functions unlike in Europe, so they may have their own design conventions. For example, people can use the elevator to bring ancestral offerings to the top floor on the full moon day, the first day or Tet according to custom.
A veteran architect also affirmed that, although it is an “unwritten law”, when designing elevators for Vietnamese houses, people often design it so that the owner can carry the tray horizontally easily. At that time, the cabin door with the smallest size of about 60 – 70cm will be reasonable.
In the cultural tradition of the Vietnamese people, the place of worship is arranged in the most solemn position, usually on the top floor of the house. Also according to habit, people arrange the kitchen on the lowest floor. And so, elevator will be the means of transporting the tray of food offerings to the ancestors to the top floor…
Each region, each country, each ethnic group has its own cultural traditions, imprinted in daily life, construction, architecture, fashion… For example, the architecture of houses in each country, each region, even Even though each region in a country has the same function, they all have their own unique features. In a mix of cultures, having their own conventions about the size of elevators is also essential…
And in general, the elevator can help homeowners expand the living space for all ages in a family. That is to build a library, a souvenir room, a living room, a kitchen, or a gym… on the high floors of the building. Among those multi-purpose functions, taking the size of the tray to be the width of the cabin door is indeed a cultural beauty and unique humanity of the Vietnamese people.
Editor’s note: When urbanization is developing strongly like today, the need to install and use home elevators becomes more and more urgent. But to match the house, in the optimal calculations, it is also necessary to pay attention to the cabin door size in accordance with traditional culture, the need to use as a traditional tray is such an example.
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