Archinect - News

On the elevator's role in our skyrocketing housing calculus

2024-07-10T11:22:00-04:00

Through my research on elevators, I got a glimpse into why so little new housing is built in America and why what is built is often of such low quality and at high cost. The problem with elevators is a microcosm of the challenges of the broader construction industry — from labor to building codes to a sheer lack of political will. [...] It’s become hard to shake the feeling that America has simply lost the capacity to build things in the real world, outside of an app.

Stephen Smith, through the New York nonprofit Center for Building in North America, has been exposing variables that undermine the housing market's intricate calculus in the form of building codes, cost of labor, zoning regulations, and the construction industry.

He says: "Elevators in North America have become over-engineered, bespoke, handcrafted and expensive pieces of equipment that are unaffordable in all the places where they are most needed. Special interests here have run wild with an outdated, inefficient, overregulated system. Accessibility rules miss the forest for the trees," adding, "The United States and Canada have also marooned themselves on a regulatory island for elevator parts and designs."

Last year, New York City became the most expensive construction market in the world, with an average cost of $506 per square foot, according to an analysis from Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business.

One of Manhattan’s art deco gems is slowly breaking down its tenants with persistent elevator malfunctions

2022-03-29T12:34:00-04:00

At 20 Exchange Place, the sheer height of the building has made the persistent outages particularly infuriating for residents, who can pay as much as $5,000 a month for a market-rate one-bedroom unit. Since November, the skyscraper has been plagued by long elevator outages that have turned daily life upside down and trapped residents with mobility issues inside their apartments. Elevator service is unpredictable and often nonexistent, for hours at a time, above the 15th floor.

The building’s owner DTH Capital says Con Edison is the culprit, but a spokesperson for the company told the Times there was “no indication” that the malfunction has nothing to do with its service or equipment. The problems are so bad that the building had to hire an elevator mechanic to be on call 24 hours in order to replace the system's operating boards, which DTH attempted unsuccessfully to buy in bulk.

Tenants in the 57-story tower at 20 Exchange Place are getting by buying two weeks of groceries at a time. Some have been given new apartments elsewhere in the area or have signed non-disclosure agreements with the owners. Others are afraid to talk on the record, while still more either broke their leases or else wound up climbing a mountain of lament — including a 28-year-old nurse who thought she scored a deal during the Covid boom (“I’m a young, in-shape person, so I can do it. But it’s miserable.”)

“It’s a privilege that we are able to afford to live here, but we did not sign...

The future of elevators: Biometrics, on-demand services, and smart repairs

2019-08-14T09:00:00-04:00

As high-rises keep growing taller, more connected and more efficient, there is increasing pressure on Otis and rival elevator companies Schindler, Kone and Thyssenkrupp to reduce wait times for rides and to personalize experiences—for instance, by allowing riders to call elevators from smartphones.

Neil Green, Otis Elevator Company's chief digital officer, discusses the future of elevator design and functionality with The Wall Street Journal.

According to Green, the future of vertical transportation is set to include a larger focus on digital and smart technologies, including advanced detection systems for needed repairs, app-based elevator calling services, and biometrics to help ferry passengers to their desired destinations without the need to wait.

Green tells The Wall Street Journal, "I can envision a future where I simply walk up to the building, it recognizes who I am from biometrics, it knows that I work on the 10th floor, and it points me to the specific elevator car."

thyssenkrupp opens first rope-less, high-speed elevator test tower in China

2018-03-27T15:11:00-04:00

German elevator specialists thyssenkrupp just inaugurated a new plant and test tower in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China, only months after opening another high-tech test tower near the company's headquarters in Rottweil.

At a height of 248 meters (or 31 floors above ground), the Zhongshan test tower even slightly surpasses the (not so) old structure in Germany. Both facilities feature the company's new rope-less elevator system, MULTI, which can go up, down and also sideways.

Image: thyssenkrupp Elevator AG.

The 13-shaft tower is in for some heavy-duty testing: An Active Mass Damper system can both reduce the extent of tower swing caused by changes in weather conditions, and also simulate extreme seismic and meteorological conditions, like earthquakes and typhoons.

It comes as no surprise that China is thyssenkrupp's largest market in Asia: The company had sales of 17.8 percent in China in the last financial year.

Thyssenkrupp's rope-less, high-speed elevator opens to the public

2017-10-11T13:09:00-04:00

On 7 October 2017, almost exactly three years after the ground-breaking ceremony, the visitors‘ platform at the thyssenkrupp test tower in Rottweil will be open to the public for the first time. Located on the top floor of the artfully constructed building, it is Germany’s highest viewing platform.

Image courtesy of Thyssenkrupp

Engineers were using the Rottweil Test Tower to test the Thyssenkrupp elevator, a rope-less high-speed elevator, going up and down but also sideways. The tower was completed three years ago and is now open to the public. The viewing platform and elevator experience makes it the region's newest attraction.

How the Speed of Elevators Impacts our Urban Environment

2017-09-07T14:46:00-04:00

The first commercial passenger elevator was installed by Otis Elevator Company in 1857 and climbed at a glacial pace of 40 feet a minute, though it felt staggering at the time. Since then, we have come a long way both in terms of elevator speeds and in terms of the heights these elevators are needed to traverse in order to meet the needs of super-tall structures around the world. Today, an Otis elevator in Dubai soars at a speed of 22 mph, which is still less than half the speed of those topping new rankings for the fastest elevators in the world.

Looking into the ways these improvements in elevator speeds have effected our urban environment, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has released new research in a study titled Vertical Transport: Ascent & Acceleration. The study defines the fastest and longest elevator runs and shows a strong correlation between the increase in elevator speeds and the increase in skyscraper heights. As elevator technology advances and allows b...

The sideways elevator that will revolutionize building has arrived

2017-07-11T13:06:00-04:00

Until now, architects have had to design around the elevator shafts, which can comprise 40 percent of a building's core. Multi could allow them to install elevators almost anywhere, including the perimeter. Strong magnets on every Multi car work with a magnetized coil running along the elevator hoistway’s guide rails to make the cars float. Turning these coils on and off creates magnetic fields strong enough to pull the car in various directions.

After three years of work, ThyssenKrupp, a company synonymous with elevators, is testing the Multi in a German tower and finalizing the safety certification. Zooming up, down, left, right, and diagonally the new elevator was just sold to a residential building under construction in Berlin, and is expected to be sold to other developers soon.

"Multi moves to-and-fro through exchangers, which you can think of as sophisticated railway switches that guide the cars. Bearings called "slings" mounted to every elevator car allow it to change direction—say, move to the left, or even go diagonally—while keeping the car level with the ground. “The cabin never moves during an exchange,” company CEO Patrick Bass says.

Image courtesy of ThyssenKrupp

Designed to move 1,000 to 1,400 feet per minute, far slower than the 1,968 fpm experienced in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the new elevator prioritizes volume over speed. (Speeds over 2,000 feet per minute lead to ear problems and nausea.) Free of the cable...

Designers want to transform elevators into "fashionable and functional room(s)"

2017-01-05T20:25:00-05:00

Forget climbing stars, or even walking laterally--in the increasingly dense and rapid reality of urban life, elevators have become a major part of daily living. According to The Guardian, major elevator designers like Otis are considering re-designing the elevator to become a more comfortable and friendly space. Precisely what form this will take is a bit unclear, but it may involve more stylish decor, and perhaps even a change in elevator culture itself (the reason most elevators have the floor number display up so high is to give people an excuse not to have to make eye contact with each other).

Elevators, making news:

ThyssenKrupp premieres 1:3 scale model of its MULTI rope-less elevator system

2015-11-06T14:16:00-05:00

[...] one year after announcing the concept of its game-changing MULTI elevator technology, ThyssenKrupp unveils a fully-functional 1:3 scale model at its Innovation Center in Gijn, Spain. The MULTI system uses linear motors instead of ropes, enabling horizontal movement and transforming conventional elevator transportation into vertical metro systems.

Previously on Archinect:

ThyssenKrupp's cable-free elevator test tower tops out in less than 10 months

2015-07-31T15:35:00-04:00

ThyssenKrupp's MULTI elevator test tower is happening, indeed — and at a seemingly impressive rate. Less than 10 months after starting construction, the currently 232-meter structure in the German city of Rottweil recently celebrated its topping out. ThyssenKrupp is aiming to have the tower fully built and go into operation by the end of 2016. Once complete, the company will begin testing the first units of their cable-free MULTI elevator system, which they unveiled late last year.

ThyssenKrupp credits the tower's smooth construction progress through the use of "an innovative slipforming technique — all on time and on budget", and they obviously won't be slowing down anytime soon. The final glass story and the top of the elevator shafts will be added to the tower over the next two weeks, bringing the structure up to 244 meters. The tower will then reach its 246 height when the facade is complete.

Interior work for the tower is scheduled for mid-August. Building services and elevat...

Japan's simple logic for putting toilets in elevators

2015-06-05T13:23:00-04:00

while the idea of a fully plumbed potty zooming up and down the sides of a Tokyo skyscraper may seem like Japanese technical ingenuity taken a step too far, in reality this idea is born of reasonable and sensible practical concerns. [...] it remains likely that people will end up trapped in elevators if a large earthquake comes. [...] Japan's elevator industry is among the most advanced in the world ... Its toilet industry also leads the world in technical advancements.

The below video (available in Japanese and English versions) shows off a version of a elevator-specific toilet:

More elevator news:

Installation of UltraRope elevators begins at Kingdom Tower

2015-05-11T15:29:00-04:00

KONE has initiated the first stage of elevator and escalator installations at Saudi Arabia’s 1km-tall Kingdom Tower. The Finnish lift firm is currently fitting elevator guiderails at the project, which is being developed by Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) and is set to become the world’s tallest building on completion.

In case of fire, use elevators

2015-03-20T13:12:00-04:00

The Fire, Buildings and City Planning Departments are writing rules to govern what are called occupant-evacuation elevators — cars that can, in special circumstances, be used to move people down in an emergency. [...] Experts who have spent years studying building evacuations believe that approach has become outmoded and is in itself potentially dangerous as extremely tall skyscrapers increasingly pierce the New York skyline.

Up and Down, Side to Side; ThyssenKrupp's cable-free MULTI elevator to begin testing in 2016

2014-12-01T17:37:00-05:00

Many of us who have ridden inside an elevator since its invention 160 years ago are accustomed to hearing its ominous hums and creaks, as well as stories of malfunctioning elevators that cause people to be stuck inside for hours. So, the idea of hopping into a cable-free elevator in a mid to high-rise building can sound both thrilling and nerve-wracking. That idea is soon to become a reality for global transportation manufacturer ThyssenKrupp, who is set out to test the first units of their cable-free MULTI elevator system once the testing tower in Rottweil, Germany is complete by the end of 2016.

MULTI's design is derived from the company's TWIN control system and safety features. Deemed as the world's first cable-free elevator, MULTI includes a multi-level brake system and multiple self-propelled cabins that can be incorporated within the same elevator shaft.

Operating on a circular system, the elevators will be able to move vertically and horizontally in a loop at a speed of 5 m...

Rising Towers Escalate Need for Faster Lifts

2014-12-01T14:48:00-05:00

When Shanghai Tower opens as China’s tallest building next year, the 2,073-foot (632 m) tower will feature elevators capable of traveling 40.3 miles (64.8 km) per hour, or 59 feet (18 m) per second, a new milestone. [...] The question facing the industry today: how fast can elevators go without sacrificing comfort? [...] At 66 feet (20 m) per second, even the slightest vibration will create a shock for passengers.

The new elevator technology that will let cities soar far higher

2014-08-01T13:28:00-04:00

Enter the UltraRope, a new kind of lift cable developed by Finnish elevator company Kone. Eschewing woven steel cable in favour of carbon fibre, the UltraRope is described as “lift-hoisting technology” [...]. Strong and lightweight, the UltraRope will supposedly allow lifts to travel up to 1km in a single run, double what’s currently possible with a steel cable. The UltraRope is 90% lighter than the equivalent steel cable, thereby reducing the load and enabling far taller continuous runs.

Going up? The elevator of the future may know the answer before you.

2014-01-22T19:57:00-05:00

Microsoft researchers have enabled elevators in a company building to detect the likelihood that a person walking by will want to board it. The camera in a Microsoft Kinect — positioned in the ceiling — tracked for months the behaviors of people who got on the elevators vs. those who bypassed the elevators on their way to a nearby cafeteria. That data fed an artificial intelligence system, which taught itself to identify the behaviors indicating who wanted to board an elevator and who didn’t.

Intempo 47-Story Skyscraper Builders Forgot To Include Working Elevator

2013-08-09T14:16:00-04:00

The Intempo 47-story skyscraper builders forgot to design working elevators above the lower floors. It’s a blunder of astounding proportions for the troubled luxury project with a lovely beach view in Benidorm, Spain. The problem has existed for some time. However, the scandal exploded into public view late last month in Spanish news source El País when it was revealed that the upper flights of the Intempo building lacked adequate elevator access above 20 stories.

The Dubai Frame is becoming a reality, to be complete end of 2014

2013-05-13T14:47:00-04:00

Lootah said the project is a complete glass, transparent structure resembling a huge window frame intended to highlight the attractions of the city so visitors can view the skyscrapers on Shaikh Zayed Road from one side — symbolising modern Dubai — while the other side of the frame will show the old Dubai landmarks of Deira, Umm Hurair and Karama. “The electrical panoramic elevators will help visitors move through its facilities as if they are moving in the sky inside the glass frame,”

As some of you may remember, when the winner of the ThyssenKrupp Elevator Award was announced 3 years ago, there was quite a bit of controversy surrounding the selected winner. The winning entry, "Dubai Frame" by Fernando Donis of the Netherlands, was a 150m tall structure designed as a literal frame of the city of Dubai.

Well, it appears construction on the monument has begun, with a completion date estimated for the end of next year.

Click here to read the 3-year old news article announcing the winner, with the flood of reader comments.

Double-Deck Elevators Rise as Tallest Towers Test Limits

2013-01-03T17:24:00-05:00

The United Technologies Corp. unit has to go beyond the braking mechanism Elisha Otis demonstrated with a rope and saber at the 1854 World’s Fair. It’s working on systems able to stop 16 metric tons (35,274 pounds) of elevator and cable falling from the top of a kilometer-tall tower -- equal to a half-full tractor trailer driven off a cliff.

Theresa Christy of Otis Elevator: Making Elevators Go

2012-12-05T14:45:00-05:00

As a mathematician steeped in the theories of vertical transportation at Otis Elevator Co., Ms. Christy, 55, has spent a quarter-century developing systems that make elevators run as perfectly as possible—which means getting most riders into a car in less than 20 seconds. "Traditionally, the wait time is the most important factor," she says. "The thing people hate the most is waiting."