Elevator World

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

KEIJI NAGATA LEAVES DUBAI AFTER LEADING TOSHIBA GULF

Effective April 1, Keiji Nagata, managing director of Toshiba Gulf and corporate representative of Toshiba for Middle East-Africa (MEA), officially transferred to Toshiba HQ and has left Dubai, the company reported on April 22. In his farewell address at Toshiba Elevator Middle East in mid-April, Nagata thanked all for the support, guidance and encouragement. He further stated that working in such an exciting marketplace, including Dubai, UAE and other MEA countries, with the most intelligent people was an excellent opportunity for him to grow, even at his age. In his new assignment, he will be supporting the global business growth of Toshiba on the corporate side in Japan. Satoshi Kawada, the new Toshiba corporate representative for MEA, is now based in Dubai as managing director of Toshiba Gulf. He previously has overseas experience as vice president of Toshiba America in NYC, as well as president of Toshiba Brazil and director of Asia Pacific at Singapore. He is gearing up to enhance Toshiba's presence in the MEA region with his experience as a global businessperson. Upon his arrival in Dubai, Toshiba Elevator Middle East felicitated him with warm greetings.

Image credit: courtesy by Noor Fathima

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

CITY OF LONDON’S SKYSCRAPER APPETITE REMAINS “FIERCE”

A growing amount of empty office space and a push toward carbon neutrality have thus far failed to quell the City of London's "fierce" appetite for tall-building construction, with six skyscrapers taller than 145 m greenlit in the past few years, Architects' Journal reports. Three such towers were approved in the first few months of 2021, joining a previously approved trio that includes two taller than 250 m. Despite a "new normal" that includes working from home, skyscraper developers are bullish on the downtown London office market, with Patrick Wong, CEO at Hong Kong-based Tenacity, observing that building the "right building at the right time" is key. Tenacity is building the 50-story 8 Bishopsgate, which, like its neighbor 22 Bishopsgate, will have more than 10% of its floorspace dedicated to amenities. Beyond the standards like cafés and event areas, they include "outdoor terraces and even a climbing wall." To address the energy demand associated with vertical transportation systems, 8 Bishopsgate will implement double-decker lifts.

Image credit: courtesy of WilkinsonEyre

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

PENN STATION’S POSSIBLE REDESIGN REVEALED FOR NYC

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has released new reconstruction options for revitalizing Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan, New York YIMBY reported on April 24. The proposals, part of the suggested Empire Station Complex, reveal a massive undertaking by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Amtrak and NJ Transit to unify all three concourses into a fresh, modern space designed by FXCollaborative and WSP. The existing Penn Station serves 600,000 passengers daily, but the redesign will accommodate a future influx of customers using both the existing Penn Station and the upcoming Penn Station expansion. The state projects ridership to grow to 830,000 daily by 2038, about 54% of whom will be MTA customers using the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North and the subway. Another 42% percent will be NJ Transit customers, with the remaining 4% Amtrak customers. Public feedback is requested before reconstruction can move forward. Also next in the process would be securing state funding and preparing an Environmental Impact Statement.

Image credit: courtesy of New York State

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

AEG INTRODUCES TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM

American Elevator Group (AEG), headquartered in NYC, has introduced a tuition reimbursement program for its approximately 650 employees nationwide not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The initiative aims to deliver the same benefits as those available to employees covered by union-regulated programs. Announced on April 27, the program provides fee reimbursement for up to two classes per semester, with a maximum of US$5,250 for undergraduate students or those in certification programs and US$7,250 for graduate students. "One of the central values of AEG is to invest in its people," said AEG President C. Mark Boelhouwer. "We want to ensure that anyone who chooses to focus on developing their career through education gets the support they need."

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

SOUTH KOREAN TOWER WITH MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC LIFT COMPLETES

The 27-story Bundang Doosan Tower, with a design by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) featuring stacked, skybridge-connected masses forming a grand, square portal, is complete in Seongnam, South Korea, KPF announced in April. KPF Communications Manager John Gibson tells ELEVATOR WORLD the tower — headquarters for Doosan Corp. — is served by a Mitsubishi Electric elevator system. Six lifts serve the parking and podium-level office amenities area, eight, the low office zone, and 10, the high office zone. For better efficiency, office zone elevators have been equipped with a destination-dispatch system. Besides offices, the 83,000-m2 building includes an auditorium, a daycare center for employees' children, a fitness center, the Doosan History Museum and a café that opens to a landscaped roof terrace. "The design strives for rational simplicity, while being highly expressive and impactful," KPF President and Design Principal James von Klemperer says.

Image credit: courtesy of KPF

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

92 OTIS ESCALATORS PART OF MUNICH METRO MODERNIZATION

Through 2026, Otis Germany will install 92 heavy-duty NPETM escalators at 18 stations of the Munich Metro, bringing the number of escalators the OEM has supplied to the system since 1985 to 500. Part of an ongoing modernization, the escalators will be manufactured at Otis' facility in Breclav, Czech Republic. In announcing the deal in April, Otis observed it worked closely with Stadtwerke München, the public company that operates the metro, to develop the escalator system. It will include custom controllers to collect real-time data that passengers can access online or through the city's transport app to confirm escalators are in operation. The data will also enable timely maintenance and reduced downtime. The controllers will be manufactured by Otis in Berlin.

Image credit: courtesy of Otis

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

IMEC WINS 72-ELEVATOR ORDER FOR TWO COMPLEXES IN INDIA

Mitsubishi Elevator India Pvt. Ltd. (IMEC) has won an order to supply 72 elevators, including 37 high-speed units, to the Commerzone Madhapur and Altimus luxury commercial complexes, developed by K Raheja Corp. in Hyderabad and Mumbai, respectively. At Commerzone Madhapur, there will be 18, 210 m/min and 29 standard lifts and at Altimus, 19, 360 m/min and six standard lifts. Both systems will be equipped with the Destination Oriented Allocation System (DOAS®) to meet COVID-19 needs for touchless operation and M's BRIDGETM predictive-maintenance technology. In announcing the award on April 21, IMEC observed that business decreased temporarily due to the pandemic, but is expected to stabilize from fiscal 2022 onward.

Image credit: Courtesy of K Raheja Corp

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

CONSTRUCTION SET TO START ON MIAMI HIGH RISE

Developers Royal Palm Cos. and OneWorld Developers are poised to launch construction of the Legacy Hotel & Residences, a 50-story mixed-use tower set to rise at the Miami Worldcenter development, Florida YIMBY reported on April 15. Designed by Kobi Karp Architecture & Interior Design Inc., the skyscraper is expected to rise approximately 661 ft along the Miami skyline. The permit filing has the site addressed as 930 Northeast First Avenue, sitting diagonally across from Paramount Miami Worldcenter. Plans call for Legacy Hotel & Residences to locate up to 260 guest rooms and other hotel facilities within the lower half of the tower, with guests to be welcomed through a 40-ft-tall lobby. The residential component will be built within the upper half of the structure, offering up to 290 MicroLuxe-themed residences ranging from studios up to units equipped with a terrace and duplex two bedrooms. Spaces will vary from 362 to 950 ft2. The apartments will be fully furnished and will feature high-end kitchen appliances and custom cabinetry. Groundbreaking is expected to occur this year, with completion aiming for 2023.

Image credit: courtesy of Kobi Karp Architecture & Interior Design

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

LIBERTY ELEVATOR OPENS FLORIDA OFFICE

Liberty Elevator Corp., which has served the NYC metropolitan area for more than 60 years, recently announced the opening of an office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The move came after requests from some of Liberty's customers who have properties in Florida. Liberty's certified union mechanics now provide clients in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Naples and surrounding areas with maintenance, modernization and new-construction services. "As a larger independent, family-owned elevator contractor, we are robust enough to mobilize assets for any size project, yet remain agile enough to address individual client needs in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and, now, Florida,” Liberty Elevator states.

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

IN MEMORIAM: MARTHA HULGAN

Martha Hulgan, longtime friend of ELEVATOR WORLD, founding member of the Vertical Initiative for Elevator Escalator Women and owner of MMH & Associates, LLC, Elevator Consulting, passed away near her home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 12 after a brief illness. Hulgan had more than 40 years’ experience in the elevator industry, founding Elevator Maintenance & Repair Co., Inc., in Chattanooga with her late husband, Bud, in 1979 after studying at Edmondson Business College. In 2001, Hulgan’s career transitioned to Otis when the OEM purchased Elevator Maintenance & Repair and merged it with its Chattanooga operation. With Otis, Hulgan served as regional business development manager, territorial manager and sales representative for the Chattanooga/Nashville markets. She left Otis in 2006 and launched MMH & Associates in 2008. In this role, Hulgan provided project and maintenance management, specification preparation, sales training, auditing and expert testimony. Hulgan was preceded in death by her husband, Bud, and two sons, Jock and Buddy. She is survived by son, JoeDee (Rebecca); grandchildren, Gordon Dewey, IV, Jessica Kate, Savanna Brooks, Ragan Olivia and Delaney Sawyer, along with many other family members, friends and colleagues. Visitation is scheduled on April 15 from 4-8 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home, 3239 Battlefield Parkway, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, 30742, with graveside service on April 16 at 1 p.m.

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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