Elevator World

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

TAXPAYER-FUNDED ELEVATOR PROJECT SCRUTINIZED IN BOSTON

WCVB Channel 5 in Boston is questioning more than US$483,000 in change orders on a taxpayer-funded US$10.3-million elevator modernization underway at the historic Massachusetts State House in downtown Boston. The 16 new elevators feature bronze fixtures, cherry laminate and marble-tiled floors. The change orders involved changing the state seals mounted in each elevator from flat to textured, adding a color inside the freight elevator, installing marble tile on the floors, hiring a technician for an after-hours event and creating custom bronze plates to cover holes created when old fixtures were removed. The state government says an extra US$1 million was budgeted for change orders, and that the project is on budget.

DENMARK’S TALLEST RESIDENTIAL BUILDING TO TAKE SHAPE

Danish engineering firm Ramboll has announced the team that will deliver Denmark's tallest residential building, a 44-story tower on the harbor in Aarhus that will form the second phase of Lighthouse, an existing low-rise residential development. Architects 3XN, which designed Lighthouse, drew inspiration for the façade from the light reflected on the surrounding water. The team will use a foundation that addresses ground-condition challenges and enables an additional four floors. In a departure from traditional Danish precast concrete, traditional reinforced concrete will be used, allowing for a "shorter build time and lighter superstructure." Norcap is the developer and Aarsleff is the general contractor. Construction is expected to start this year and be complete by 2021.

JAPANESE CASTLE RESTORATION SANS ELEVATORS RAISES IRE

Restoring the 17th-century Nagoya Castle in central Japan without elevators has raised the ire of disability-rights activists, who call it a violation of human rights, Japan Today reports. Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura wants to rebuild the castle’s concrete main tower in 2022 using wood and following original 17th-century methods that did not include elevators. An archeologist pointed out there are many other features, such as a concrete foundation and electrical wiring, the original structure did not have. The city says it plans to introduce an elevator alternative using “new technologies” but did not elaborate.

SHARIF AL-GAMAL’S 45 PARK PLACE RISING IN LOWER MANHATTAN

45 Park Place, a 43-story, 667-ft.-tall luxury residential tower, is on track for a 2019 completion in Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York YIMBY reports. Developed by Sharif El-Gamal’s Soho Properties, the building was designed by SOMA Architects with Ismael Leyva as the architect of record with a glassy exterior, mullioned setbacks and reinforced concrete core. Prices start at US$1.92 million and top out at US$41 million for a duplex penthouse with a private terrace. Expected to soon be visible from the 9/11 Memorial, 45 Park Place will also have an outdoor courtyard leading to an Islamic cultural center designed by Jean Nouvel.

OUTDOOR ESCALATORS AT TEXAS AIRPORT TO BE REPAIRED

The City of Abilene in central Texas has approved a US$276,000 project to repair the outdoor escalators at Abilene Regional Airport, and expects to have them up and running by the end of July, KTXS Channel 12 reports. The units were installed 10 years ago and have been out of service for more than a year. The city looked at installing elevators but found that option cost prohibitive, opting instead for repairing the escalators to “like-new” condition with a one-year warranty and three-year maintenance agreement. One city lawmaker said installing outdoor escalators at the airport was “one of the biggest mistakes the city ever made.”

Image courtesy en.wikipedia.org:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagoya_Castle

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes│Google Play | SoundCloud│Stitcher│TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

TAXPAYER-FUNDED ELEVATOR PROJECT SCRUTINIZED IN BOSTON

WCVB Channel 5 in Boston is questioning more than US$483,000 in change orders on a taxpayer-funded US$10.3-million elevator modernization underway at the historic Massachusetts State House in downtown Boston. The 16 new elevators feature bronze fixtures, cherry laminate and marble-tiled floors. The change orders involved changing the state seals mounted in each elevator from flat to textured, adding a color inside the freight elevator, installing marble tile on the floors, hiring a technician for an after-hours event and creating custom bronze plates to cover holes created when old fixtures were removed. The state government says an extra US$1 million was budgeted for change orders, and that the project is on budget.

DENMARK’S TALLEST RESIDENTIAL BUILDING TO TAKE SHAPE

Danish engineering firm Ramboll has announced the team that will deliver Denmark's tallest residential building, a 44-story tower on the harbor in Aarhus that will form the second phase of Lighthouse, an existing low-rise residential development. Architects 3XN, which designed Lighthouse, drew inspiration for the façade from the light reflected on the surrounding water. The team will use a foundation that addresses ground-condition challenges and enables an additional four floors. In a departure from traditional Danish precast concrete, traditional reinforced concrete will be used, allowing for a "shorter build time and lighter superstructure." Norcap is the developer and Aarsleff is the general contractor. Construction is expected to start this year and be complete by 2021.

JAPANESE CASTLE RESTORATION SANS ELEVATORS RAISES IRE

Restoring the 17th-century Nagoya Castle in central Japan without elevators has raised the ire of disability-rights activists, who call it a violation of human rights, Japan Today reports. Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura wants to rebuild the castle’s concrete main tower in 2022 using wood and following original 17th-century methods that did not include elevators. An archeologist pointed out there are many other features, such as a concrete foundation and electrical wiring, the original structure did not have. The city says it plans to introduce an elevator alternative using “new technologies” but did not elaborate.

SHARIF AL-GAMAL’S 45 PARK PLACE RISING IN LOWER MANHATTAN

45 Park Place, a 43-story, 667-ft.-tall luxury residential tower, is on track for a 2019 completion in Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York YIMBY reports. Developed by Sharif El-Gamal’s Soho Properties, the building was designed by SOMA Architects with Ismael Leyva as the architect of record with a glassy exterior, mullioned setbacks and reinforced concrete core. Prices start at US$1.92 million and top out at US$41 million for a duplex penthouse with a private terrace. Expected to soon be visible from the 9/11 Memorial, 45 Park Place will also have an outdoor courtyard leading to an Islamic cultural center designed by Jean Nouvel.

OUTDOOR ESCALATORS AT TEXAS AIRPORT TO BE REPAIRED

The City of Abilene in central Texas has approved a US$276,000 project to repair the outdoor escalators at Abilene Regional Airport, and expects to have them up and running by the end of July, KTXS Channel 12 reports. The units were installed 10 years ago and have been out of service for more than a year. The city looked at installing elevators but found that option cost prohibitive, opting instead for repairing the escalators to “like-new” condition with a one-year warranty and three-year maintenance agreement. One city lawmaker said installing outdoor escalators at the airport was “one of the biggest mistakes the city ever made.”

Image courtesy en.wikipedia.org:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagoya_Castle

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes│Google Play | SoundCloud│Stitcher│TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

GARAVENTA OPENS EXPANDED FACILITY IN WESTERN CANADA

Global company Garaventa Lift has opened a new, multimillion-dollar facility in Surrey, Canada, approximately 30 min. from the Vancouver International Airport. Housing more than 200 employees, the purpose-built facility triples the production capacity of the nearby former location that Garaventa operated for 40 years. Garaventa Lift Group Chairman of the Board Beat Siegrist observed an aging population and home elevators being incorporated into architectural design are driving demand globally. At the opening of the new location earlier this spring, the company said it is installing more than 6,000 lifts per year and views the investment as “a necessity, due to the steady growth in demand for its wheelchair lifts and home elevators.”

INDIAN ELEVATOR ASSOCIATION WANTS LEGISLATION AMENDED

The Association of Elevator Companies in India is asking the state government of Maharashtra to make renewal of elevator companies' licenses for 10, rather than three, years and inspection of unlicensed lifts part of the Maharashtra Lift, Escalators and Moving Walkways Act, The Times of India reports. There are 340 registered elevator companies in the association, which has requested that licenses be renewed for all companies in three stages: five years, followed by 10 years, followed by permanent licenses. The association has 26 recommendations, more than twice those in the current act. They include appointing a chief inspector and assistant inspectors and implementing provisions related to overloading and automatic rescue devices.

NEW WEBSITE SHOWCASES THYSSENKRUPP’S CSR EFFORTS

thyssenkrupp Elevator has unveiled a new website, PERSPECTIVES, to highlight stories about its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives: specifically, Project SEED, developed in partnership with SOS Children's Villages International and initially focused on 100 young people in Colombia, Brazil and India. thyssenkrupp Elevator employees volunteer to lead courses and serve as mentors to young people with the goal of helping them find and keep good jobs.

FUTURISTIC MALAYSIAN TOWERS INSPIRED BY VAN DER ROHE

Taking inspiration from the surrounding landscape and architect Mies van der Rohe, architecture firm SPARK created a pair of 50- and 32-story condominium towers in George Town, Malaysia, with a twisting, curving, futuristic look, designboom reports. Developed by Malaysia's Nusmetro, the towers share a podium that hides parking facilities and contain 460 residences augmented by balconies, terraces and pools. Elliptical extruded floorplates and a subtly rotating brise-soleil heat-reduction system help achieve the buildings' twisting appearance. The taller tower's two recreational pods, including one at level 35 with a sky garden, further enhance the space-age look. Together, the towers total 72,000 m2.

Image courtesy garaventalift.com:

https://www.garaventalift.com/en/gallery.html

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes│Google Play | SoundCloud│Stitcher│TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

GARAVENTA OPENS EXPANDED FACILITY IN WESTERN CANADA

Global company Garaventa Lift has opened a new, multimillion-dollar facility in Surrey, Canada, approximately 30 min. from the Vancouver International Airport. Housing more than 200 employees, the purpose-built facility triples the production capacity of the nearby former location that Garaventa operated for 40 years. Garaventa Lift Group Chairman of the Board Beat Siegrist observed an aging population and home elevators being incorporated into architectural design are driving demand globally. At the opening of the new location earlier this spring, the company said it is installing more than 6,000 lifts per year and views the investment as “a necessity, due to the steady growth in demand for its wheelchair lifts and home elevators.”

INDIAN ELEVATOR ASSOCIATION WANTS LEGISLATION AMENDED

The Association of Elevator Companies in India is asking the state government of Maharashtra to make renewal of elevator companies' licenses for 10, rather than three, years and inspection of unlicensed lifts part of the Maharashtra Lift, Escalators and Moving Walkways Act, The Times of India reports. There are 340 registered elevator companies in the association, which has requested that licenses be renewed for all companies in three stages: five years, followed by 10 years, followed by permanent licenses. The association has 26 recommendations, more than twice those in the current act. They include appointing a chief inspector and assistant inspectors and implementing provisions related to overloading and automatic rescue devices.

NEW WEBSITE SHOWCASES THYSSENKRUPP’S CSR EFFORTS

thyssenkrupp Elevator has unveiled a new website, PERSPECTIVES, to highlight stories about its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives: specifically, Project SEED, developed in partnership with SOS Children's Villages International and initially focused on 100 young people in Colombia, Brazil and India. thyssenkrupp Elevator employees volunteer to lead courses and serve as mentors to young people with the goal of helping them find and keep good jobs.

FUTURISTIC MALAYSIAN TOWERS INSPIRED BY VAN DER ROHE

Taking inspiration from the surrounding landscape and architect Mies van der Rohe, architecture firm SPARK created a pair of 50- and 32-story condominium towers in George Town, Malaysia, with a twisting, curving, futuristic look, designboom reports. Developed by Malaysia's Nusmetro, the towers share a podium that hides parking facilities and contain 460 residences augmented by balconies, terraces and pools. Elliptical extruded floorplates and a subtly rotating brise-soleil heat-reduction system help achieve the buildings' twisting appearance. The taller tower's two recreational pods, including one at level 35 with a sky garden, further enhance the space-age look. Together, the towers total 72,000 m2.

Image courtesy garaventalift.com:

https://www.garaventalift.com/en/gallery.html

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes│Google Play | SoundCloud│Stitcher│TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

GARAVENTA OPENS EXPANDED FACILITY IN WESTERN CANADA

Global company Garaventa Lift has opened a new, multimillion-dollar facility in Surrey, Canada, approximately 30 min. from the Vancouver International Airport. Housing more than 200 employees, the purpose-built facility triples the production capacity of the nearby former location that Garaventa operated for 40 years. Garaventa Lift Group Chairman of the Board Beat Siegrist observed an aging population and home elevators being incorporated into architectural design are driving demand globally. At the opening of the new location earlier this spring, the company said it is installing more than 6,000 lifts per year and views the investment as “a necessity, due to the steady growth in demand for its wheelchair lifts and home elevators.”

INDIAN ELEVATOR ASSOCIATION WANTS LEGISLATION AMENDED

The Association of Elevator Companies in India is asking the state government of Maharashtra to make renewal of elevator companies' licenses for 10, rather than three, years and inspection of unlicensed lifts part of the Maharashtra Lift, Escalators and Moving Walkways Act, The Times of India reports. There are 340 registered elevator companies in the association, which has requested that licenses be renewed for all companies in three stages: five years, followed by 10 years, followed by permanent licenses. The association has 26 recommendations, more than twice those in the current act. They include appointing a chief inspector and assistant inspectors and implementing provisions related to overloading and automatic rescue devices.

NEW WEBSITE SHOWCASES THYSSENKRUPP’S CSR EFFORTS

thyssenkrupp Elevator has unveiled a new website, PERSPECTIVES, to highlight stories about its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives: specifically, Project SEED, developed in partnership with SOS Children's Villages International and initially focused on 100 young people in Colombia, Brazil and India. thyssenkrupp Elevator employees volunteer to lead courses and serve as mentors to young people with the goal of helping them find and keep good jobs.

FUTURISTIC MALAYSIAN TOWERS INSPIRED BY VAN DER ROHE

Taking inspiration from the surrounding landscape and architect Mies van der Rohe, architecture firm SPARK created a pair of 50- and 32-story condominium towers in George Town, Malaysia, with a twisting, curving, futuristic look, designboom reports. Developed by Malaysia's Nusmetro, the towers share a podium that hides parking facilities and contain 460 residences augmented by balconies, terraces and pools. Elliptical extruded floorplates and a subtly rotating brise-soleil heat-reduction system help achieve the buildings' twisting appearance. The taller tower's two recreational pods, including one at level 35 with a sky garden, further enhance the space-age look. Together, the towers total 72,000 m2.

Image courtesy garaventalift.com:

https://www.garaventalift.com/en/gallery.html

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes│Google Play | SoundCloud│Stitcher│TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

AMBITIOUS TWO-TOWER PLAN FOR CHICAGO SPIRE SITE

Two-and-a-half acres along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan originally planned for the Chicago Spire, then Gensler's Gateway Tower, is now envisioned by Related Midwest as the location of 1,100- and 850-ft.-tall towers designed by One World Trade Center architect David Childs, the Chicago Tribune reports. Unveiled during a community meeting on May 15, the towers feature dramatic setbacks and contain 300 condominiums, 175 hotel rooms and 550 apartments atop a podium with parking and other amenities. Related hopes to break ground by next summer and complete the project, known as 400 Lake Shore Drive, in 2023.

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY ON CHINA’S FUTURE TALLEST

Construction is underway on the Shimao Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Centre, a 668-m-tall tower for Shenzhen, China. The height would exceed China's current tallest building, the 632-m-tall Shanghai Tower, which is also the world's second tallest, dezeen reported. Though several details, such as the architect, are unknown, the building is being developed by the Chinese firm Shiamo Group, which is said to have already invested CNY50 billion (US$6.85 billion) into it. Apartments; offices; a startup incubator; five-star hotels; shopping centers; international schools; and a convention, exhibition and performance center will take up the 321,900 m2 behind a rippling façade. Located in the Longgang district in eastern Shenzhen, the center could be completed as early as 2024.

WMATA ESCALATOR CANOPY BEHIND SCHEDULE IN VIRGINIA

A canopy being built to cover an outdoor escalator at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Huntington Metro Station in Huntington, Virginia, is expected to be complete in summer 2019, more than a year later than WMATA’s original estimate, Covering the Corridor reports. The US$2.5-million structure is being built offsite, with onsite construction expected to start in early summer. The source said preliminary work on the project began in October 2017, but little visible progress has been made since. Virginia code does not permit outdoor escalators to operate without a canopy, but WMATA and the government agreed that it could operate if weather is not inclement.

ELEVATOR FALL HURTS THREE PASSENGERS IN ALABAMA

Three people were hurt on May 17 when an elevator at a government building in Mobile, Alabama, suddenly fell from the ground floor to the basement, NBC15 reports. The elevator was in the Mobile Government Plaza, a building that houses city and county government and the local courts. According to the report, 18 people were on the elevator at the time of the incident. The elevator had last been inspected on January 31. The injured complained of back and neck pain, the report said.

BISMARCK ELEVATOR JOB INCLUDES HISTORIC BRASS DOORS

The Otis modernization of the four elevators that serve the 21-story, 1930s-era North Dakota state capitol building in Bismarck will include preserving and remounting 19 sets of brass elevator doors that are original to the structure, the Cavalier County Republican reports. Architect Edgar Miller designed eight sets of cast-bronze doors for the main hall’s first and second floors that depict the history of the Dakotas with cowboys, Native Americans, buffalos, miners and farming scenes. Facilities manager John Boyle said approximately 600 people use the elevators multiple times each day, and the doors are wiped down twice a day with an environmentally friendly product to remove fingerprints.

Image courtesy chicagotribune.com:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/ori/ct-biz-spire-site-development-ryan-ori-20180515-story.html

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes│Google Play | SoundCloud│Stitcher│TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

AMBITIOUS TWO-TOWER PLAN FOR CHICAGO SPIRE SITE

Two-and-a-half acres along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan originally planned for the Chicago Spire, then Gensler's Gateway Tower, is now envisioned by Related Midwest as the location of 1,100- and 850-ft.-tall towers designed by One World Trade Center architect David Childs, the Chicago Tribune reports. Unveiled during a community meeting on May 15, the towers feature dramatic setbacks and contain 300 condominiums, 175 hotel rooms and 550 apartments atop a podium with parking and other amenities. Related hopes to break ground by next summer and complete the project, known as 400 Lake Shore Drive, in 2023.

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY ON CHINA’S FUTURE TALLEST

Construction is underway on the Shimao Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Centre, a 668-m-tall tower for Shenzhen, China. The height would exceed China's current tallest building, the 632-m-tall Shanghai Tower, which is also the world's second tallest, dezeen reported. Though several details, such as the architect, are unknown, the building is being developed by the Chinese firm Shiamo Group, which is said to have already invested CNY50 billion (US$6.85 billion) into it. Apartments; offices; a startup incubator; five-star hotels; shopping centers; international schools; and a convention, exhibition and performance center will take up the 321,900 m2 behind a rippling façade. Located in the Longgang district in eastern Shenzhen, the center could be completed as early as 2024.

WMATA ESCALATOR CANOPY BEHIND SCHEDULE IN VIRGINIA

A canopy being built to cover an outdoor escalator at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Huntington Metro Station in Huntington, Virginia, is expected to be complete in summer 2019, more than a year later than WMATA’s original estimate, Covering the Corridor reports. The US$2.5-million structure is being built offsite, with onsite construction expected to start in early summer. The source said preliminary work on the project began in October 2017, but little visible progress has been made since. Virginia code does not permit outdoor escalators to operate without a canopy, but WMATA and the government agreed that it could operate if weather is not inclement.

ELEVATOR FALL HURTS THREE PASSENGERS IN ALABAMA

Three people were hurt on May 17 when an elevator at a government building in Mobile, Alabama, suddenly fell from the ground floor to the basement, NBC15 reports. The elevator was in the Mobile Government Plaza, a building that houses city and county government and the local courts. According to the report, 18 people were on the elevator at the time of the incident. The elevator had last been inspected on January 31. The injured complained of back and neck pain, the report said.

BISMARCK ELEVATOR JOB INCLUDES HISTORIC BRASS DOORS

The Otis modernization of the four elevators that serve the 21-story, 1930s-era North Dakota state capitol building in Bismarck will include preserving and remounting 19 sets of brass elevator doors that are original to the structure, the Cavalier County Republican reports. Architect Edgar Miller designed eight sets of cast-bronze doors for the main hall’s first and second floors that depict the history of the Dakotas with cowboys, Native Americans, buffalos, miners and farming scenes. Facilities manager John Boyle said approximately 600 people use the elevators multiple times each day, and the doors are wiped down twice a day with an environmentally friendly product to remove fingerprints.

Image courtesy chicagotribune.com:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/ori/ct-biz-spire-site-development-ryan-ori-20180515-story.html

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes│Google Play | SoundCloud│Stitcher│TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

AMBITIOUS TWO-TOWER PLAN FOR CHICAGO SPIRE SITE

Two-and-a-half acres along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan originally planned for the Chicago Spire, then Gensler's Gateway Tower, is now envisioned by Related Midwest as the location of 1,100- and 850-ft.-tall towers designed by One World Trade Center architect David Childs, the Chicago Tribune reports. Unveiled during a community meeting on May 15, the towers feature dramatic setbacks and contain 300 condominiums, 175 hotel rooms and 550 apartments atop a podium with parking and other amenities. Related hopes to break ground by next summer and complete the project, known as 400 Lake Shore Drive, in 2023.

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY ON CHINA’S FUTURE TALLEST

Construction is underway on the Shimao Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Centre, a 668-m-tall tower for Shenzhen, China. The height would exceed China's current tallest building, the 632-m-tall Shanghai Tower, which is also the world's second tallest, dezeen reported. Though several details, such as the architect, are unknown, the building is being developed by the Chinese firm Shiamo Group, which is said to have already invested CNY50 billion (US$6.85 billion) into it. Apartments; offices; a startup incubator; five-star hotels; shopping centers; international schools; and a convention, exhibition and performance center will take up the 321,900 m2 behind a rippling façade. Located in the Longgang district in eastern Shenzhen, the center could be completed as early as 2024.

WMATA ESCALATOR CANOPY BEHIND SCHEDULE IN VIRGINIA

A canopy being built to cover an outdoor escalator at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Huntington Metro Station in Huntington, Virginia, is expected to be complete in summer 2019, more than a year later than WMATA’s original estimate, Covering the Corridor reports. The US$2.5-million structure is being built offsite, with onsite construction expected to start in early summer. The source said preliminary work on the project began in October 2017, but little visible progress has been made since. Virginia code does not permit outdoor escalators to operate without a canopy, but WMATA and the government agreed that it could operate if weather is not inclement.

ELEVATOR FALL HURTS THREE PASSENGERS IN ALABAMA

Three people were hurt on May 17 when an elevator at a government building in Mobile, Alabama, suddenly fell from the ground floor to the basement, NBC15 reports. The elevator was in the Mobile Government Plaza, a building that houses city and county government and the local courts. According to the report, 18 people were on the elevator at the time of the incident. The elevator had last been inspected on January 31. The injured complained of back and neck pain, the report said.

BISMARCK ELEVATOR JOB INCLUDES HISTORIC BRASS DOORS

The Otis modernization of the four elevators that serve the 21-story, 1930s-era North Dakota state capitol building in Bismarck will include preserving and remounting 19 sets of brass elevator doors that are original to the structure, the Cavalier County Republican reports. Architect Edgar Miller designed eight sets of cast-bronze doors for the main hall’s first and second floors that depict the history of the Dakotas with cowboys, Native Americans, buffalos, miners and farming scenes. Facilities manager John Boyle said approximately 600 people use the elevators multiple times each day, and the doors are wiped down twice a day with an environmentally friendly product to remove fingerprints.

Image courtesy chicagotribune.com:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/ori/ct-biz-spire-site-development-ryan-ori-20180515-story.html

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes│Google Play | SoundCloud│Stitcher│TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

OTIS JOB IN SAN FRANCISCO INCLUDES A WORLDWIDE FIRST

Otis has been selected to outfit the new Oceanwide Center in downtown San Francisco with 53 elevators and escalators. It will be the first development in the world to use the Otis CompassPlus® destination-dispatch system, which will allow the elevators to "more efficiently manage incoming, outgoing and interfloor traffic without having passengers travel back to the lobby or inconvenient transfer floors." Scheduled to open in 2022 in the South of Market neighborhood, Oceanwide Center consists of a 625-ft.-tall, 54-story residential/hotel and a 910-ft.-tall, 61-story residential/office tower along First Street.

 

EXTERNAL ELEVATOR FOR CHICAGO’s AON CENTER: DETAILS

Curbed Chicago has updated Chicago’s "battle for observation deck supremacy," involving 601W Cos., owner of the Aon Center, seeking approval to build a 1,000-ft.-long panoramic elevator to serve as a tourist attraction on its 82nd and 83rd floors. To cost US$185 million, the Solomon Cordwell Buenz-designed addition is angular to evoke the tower’s chevron-shaped vertical columns. A double-decker elevator enclosed in a glass shaft attached to the stone tower’s exterior would be among the tallest panoramic elevators in the world. Traveling at 1,200 fpm, it would also help alleviate overcapacity in the tower's current elevators. The source indicated the elevator and other proposed, related additions will require a zoning amendment, making them subject to city oversight and approval. However, construction could begin soon, as there is an optimistic timeline of a 2020 opening.

 

TAJIKISTAN PRESIDENT WANTS BELARUSIAN PLANT IN HIS COUNTRY

Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon is interested in Belarusian lift manufacturer Mogilevliftmash setting up an assembly plant in his country, Belarus News reports. Rahmon visited the Belarus National Expo, held in the Tajikistan capital Dushanbe, in May and familiarized himself with the company's elevators. The next step will be conducting a feasibility study on a potential plant, which would produce at least 500 elevators a year. Rahmon said a Mogilevliftmash facility in Tajikistan would serve not only the capital but the entire country, and create jobs.

 

NEII 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII®) announced its 2018 directors and officers in May following its 84th annual meeting in Atlanta. Serving a one-year term, they are: Tom Vining (Otis Americas), president; Sterrett Lloyd (Draka Elevator Products), vice president; Michael Bauschka (KONE Americas), treasurer; Karen Penafiel (NEII), secretary; Larry Wash (KONE); Katsuji Okuda (Fujitec America, Inc.); Greg Ergenbright (Schindler); Erik Zommers (Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc.); and Jon McCabe (thyssenkrupp).

Image credit: Otis

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes│Google Play | SoundCloud│Stitcher│TuneIn

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com

OTIS JOB IN SAN FRANCISCO INCLUDES A WORLDWIDE FIRST

Otis has been selected to outfit the new Oceanwide Center in downtown San Francisco with 53 elevators and escalators. It will be the first development in the world to use the Otis CompassPlus® destination-dispatch system, which will allow the elevators to "more efficiently manage incoming, outgoing and interfloor traffic without having passengers travel back to the lobby or inconvenient transfer floors." Scheduled to open in 2022 in the South of Market neighborhood, Oceanwide Center consists of a 625-ft.-tall, 54-story residential/hotel and a 910-ft.-tall, 61-story residential/office tower along First Street.

 

EXTERNAL ELEVATOR FOR CHICAGO’s AON CENTER: DETAILS

Curbed Chicago has updated Chicago’s "battle for observation deck supremacy," involving 601W Cos., owner of the Aon Center, seeking approval to build a 1,000-ft.-long panoramic elevator to serve as a tourist attraction on its 82nd and 83rd floors. To cost US$185 million, the Solomon Cordwell Buenz-designed addition is angular to evoke the tower’s chevron-shaped vertical columns. A double-decker elevator enclosed in a glass shaft attached to the stone tower’s exterior would be among the tallest panoramic elevators in the world. Traveling at 1,200 fpm, it would also help alleviate overcapacity in the tower's current elevators. The source indicated the elevator and other proposed, related additions will require a zoning amendment, making them subject to city oversight and approval. However, construction could begin soon, as there is an optimistic timeline of a 2020 opening.

 

TAJIKISTAN PRESIDENT WANTS BELARUSIAN PLANT IN HIS COUNTRY

Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon is interested in Belarusian lift manufacturer Mogilevliftmash setting up an assembly plant in his country, Belarus News reports. Rahmon visited the Belarus National Expo, held in the Tajikistan capital Dushanbe, in May and familiarized himself with the company's elevators. The next step will be conducting a feasibility study on a potential plant, which would produce at least 500 elevators a year. Rahmon said a Mogilevliftmash facility in Tajikistan would serve not only the capital but the entire country, and create jobs.

 

NEII 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII®) announced its 2018 directors and officers in May following its 84th annual meeting in Atlanta. Serving a one-year term, they are: Tom Vining (Otis Americas), president; Sterrett Lloyd (Draka Elevator Products), vice president; Michael Bauschka (KONE Americas), treasurer; Karen Penafiel (NEII), secretary; Larry Wash (KONE); Katsuji Okuda (Fujitec America, Inc.); Greg Ergenbright (Schindler); Erik Zommers (Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc.); and Jon McCabe (thyssenkrupp).

Image credit: Otis

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