How to maintain the elevator of the tallest building in the country? Ask Mahbub

The Motijheel town center is a 171 meter behemoth that dominates the Motijheel skyline, topped with a helipad on top. Mahubub and his team guarantee the perfect functioning of the building’s eight high-capacity elevators.

Mahbub Alam, a 35-year-old man from the Keraniganj area of ​​Dhaka, never considered himself someone drawn to academics.

“Studies weren’t my thing,” he admits with a smile.

When it was time for the SSC exam, Mahbub left school instead of appearing. But he wanted to reach dizzying heights and he did, literally.

As the city center elevator operator, the tallest building in the country, it is often located on the highest peak in Dhaka. Here, between the building’s steel tendons, Mahbub and his team keep the elevators running.

The city centre, a 171-metre behemoth dominating Motijheel’s skyline, is a marvel of modern engineering, topped with a helipad at the top.

Keeping it running smoothly on all floors falls to a dedicated five-member team, of which Mahbub is a senior technician. This equipment guarantees the perfect operation of the building’s eight high-capacity elevators, each of them capable of transporting up to 16 passengers (1,275 kg).

These elevators have a central floor selection system; Instead of calling each elevator separately, the central unit sends the closest elevator to waiting passengers. Therefore, no elevator operator has to accompany travelers along the floors.

Years of experience give Mahbub an intuitive understanding of the mood of elevators, allowing him to anticipate and often prevent problems before they arise.

“Although we check the elevators periodically, momentary failures do occur from time to time,” admits Mahbub. “Machines, you know!”

Work structure

Now they have a team of five members, but there are two shifts. “For two shifts, ideally you need at least six people,” says Mahbub.

At four meters per second, our ride in that metal box to the top floor ended faster than I expected. Mahbub’s voice echoed inside the elevator as he explained the working structure.

“Two senior technicians work two different shifts. The first shift starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. The second shift starts at 2 p.m. and can often last longer than 10 p.m.,” he continued.

“Basically, one of us from the first shift is dragged to the night shift. It’s good that the company compensates him.”

Maintenance is a crucial part of your job. “The first maintenance is basic cleaning of the inside of the elevator,” says Mahbub.

He points to the elegant mirrored walls of the elevator. “For this we have cleaning staff and someone from our team accompanies them to give instructions. Hardware maintenance is carried out by the elevator company. Both are carried out according to a routine: monthly maintenance and cleaning twice a week.”

The rest of the time, it’s them, the five of them, making sure the city center continues to reach for the sky.

How the elevator works

In high-rise buildings, elevators end at different levels. Mahbub explains: “From 0 to 37, the elevators do not go up. Some stop at 19, others at 22 and one reaches 34.”

In the mornings, the team performs primary inspections on the elevators. “Then we wait on the ground floor in case any setbacks arise,” says Mahbub. “Since these are machinery, any kind of technical problem can arise at any time. If any elevator gets stuck on any floor, we rush to the engine room. The engine rooms, a maze of whirring gears and flashing lights, are at levels 8, 19, 24 and 34.”

He showed how they control the positions of the elevators. In the machine room there is a light indicator that indicates whether the elevator is on one level or between levels. “If one gets stuck, getting people out safely is the number one priority. Then we fix it and get it up and running again.”

Emergency contact numbers are displayed on each level and inside each elevator.

First in, last out.

Mahbub’s days are a mix of routine checks, button-pushing efficiency during rush hours, and the occasional spring into action when the unexpected happens. A flicker of energy, a stuck door – these are the moments when Mahbub thrives.

With practical ease, troubleshoot, restart and get elevators back up and running, minimizing disruption for the hundreds who depend on them daily.

From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the team does not take any breaks. “These are peak times for offices,” he explains. “After 11am, we have tea breaks in the squad. When the 2pm shift comes, we have lunch breaks.”

An emergency solution usually takes no more than five minutes. But one day everything went wrong.

The elevator remained stuck for 10-15 minutes. Mahbub immediately went to the engine room and noticed that the elevator was not on any level. He pressed the button to level it, but unfortunately, it aligned on the lowest underground floor.

The elevator is designed to descend when loaded with 1,100 kg, which makes it reach the bottom. To make matters worse, the door on that level gets stuck. Since the lift bottomed out, he couldn’t lift it from the rear, so he had to call others to lift it manually.

Inside the elevator, people panicked and kept ringing the bell. “I was torn between talking to the trapped people or working to get them out. Finally, we got them out safely,” Mahbub recalls.

He started his career at an elevator company called Creative Engineers Limited, where he gained practical experience as a technician and worked for six years.

He subsequently accepted a job at another company before joining this building in 2016. Through hands-on experience and close mentorship, Mahbub’s technical expertise prepared him for Bangladesh’s greatest architectural achievement.

After a long day, the elevator operator of the tallest building in Dhaka returns home. “After 10 pm, I take a Midline bus from Motijheel to reach Mohammadpur and then take a CNG auto-rickshaw from Mohammadpur to Keraniganj,” he says, thinking of his large family of 10, including his parents and the his brother’s family.

Mahbub is quite happy with his life and work.

“Well, I may not have excelled in school, I wasn’t really a bookworm. But up here, with the city spread out below, I feel like I’m on top of the world,” he says. “Maybe I’m a different type of high flyer, but hey, it’s a good feeling!”