Palaceside Building hosts over 6,000 people daily plus 20,000+ visitors—offices, shops, restaurants, post office, clinic—so fire and disaster prevention are paramount.
The round east and west elevator cores are design landmarks; "evacuation ladders" sit in two sets near each core, visible through glass doors when heading to or from offices—please notice them.
These fire-service ladders are strictly regulated in material, structure and parts, with mandatory periodic inspection every six months (operational/functional/visual) and annually (comprehensive) by licensed inspectors—checking play, rust and damage so they work in emergencies.
Yesterday two teams of two, with the manager present, inspected each floor's ladder＝photo. Vertical ladders are nerve-racking to descend; hatches offset each floor so a fall is at most one story—not all the way down. Still scary if out of shape.