Shanghai rises to occasion with new elevator law

Shanghai has taken the lead in the country in assisting the elderly living in multistory buildings, as the municipality now requires such new buildings to have elevators.

Multifloor residential buildings usually refer to four-, five- or six-story buildings with two or more suites per floor. Such buildings, which represent the major residential building plan in China, usually don't have elevators because of their cost.

The revised standards for residential building design took effect this month.