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

TKE NAMES VINCENT DELLA VALLE COO

TKE has named Vincent Della Valle chief operating officer (COO), responsible for product and supply chain and airport solutions. Reporting directly to CEO Peter Walker, Valle's new role will become effective April 1. He currently works at Bureau Veritas as senior vice president, commodities, global service line. Born in France, Valle has 25 years' industry experience and is a university-educated engineer. Walker said Valle's many years of experience in production, product management, supply chain intricacies and digital technology promise to "drive TKE forward in these important value-creating areas."

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

STARBUCKS CHICAGO ROASTERY GARNERS ANOTHER HONOR

Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Chicago has earned another honor with Engineering News-Record (ENR) naming the shop “Best Interior/Tenant Improvement” among its “Best of the Best Projects 2020.” The 35,000-ft2 space, a converted Crate & Barrel flagship store at 646 North Michigan Avenue on the city’s Magnificent Mile, is a five-story coffee-lover’s paradise. ENR notes the core-and-shell work involved removing the original escalators and installing a 56-ft-tall steel-and-aluminum coffee cask. Special piping allows visitors to watch as fresh coffee beans travel from the roaster to three coffee bars. The shop includes Mitsubishi Electric U.S.’s first curved escalator in the Midwest.

Image credit: courtesy of Starbucks

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

TKE First-Of-Its-Kind Twin Installation In Paris La Défense

TKE installed two escalators and 16 lifts, including eight high-speed TWINs, featuring two cabins operating independently in one shaft for a total of 16 cabins, in the 33-story Trinity Tower, designed by Jean-Luc Crochon in Paris’ La Défense district. Two of the TWIN lifts operate in panoramic shafts that run the entire height of the building, including three machinery levels. Bright red and yellow were selected by Crochon for the cabin colors as a tribute to the Eiffel Tower’s historic elevators. TKE describes the installation as the first of its kind in the world. Office tenants enjoy views of La Défense, while passersby can see the elevators in motion. Trinity Tower was developed by Unibail-Roadmco-Westfield Group. Construction began in 2016 and was completed in November 2020. With “bioclimatic glass façades, which act as external insulation and dual ecological ambitions, HQE Exceptional and BREEAM Excellent,” Trinity Tower includes 1,500 m2 of green balconies and terraces, a rooftop and 4,000 m2 of services.

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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

UPDATE ON VT FOR NYC’S HISTORIC OFFICE-TO-CONDO CONVERSION

The vertical-transportation (VT) system for One Wall Street, the largest-ever office-to-condo conversion in NYC, is approximately 65% complete, KONE Project Manager Ken Snowdon tells ELEVATOR WORLD. When EW reported on the project in October 2019, VT work was roughly 5% complete. Macklowe Properties is developing the 50-story, 90-year-old Art Deco building in the Financial District, and SLCE is the architect. The VT system includes 25 new elevators and involves subcontractors such as Mongrain Vertical Transport, Inc.; H&B Elevators; EDI/ECI; The Peelle Co.; Universal Supply, Inc.; and National Elevator Cab & Door Corp. New York YIMBY previously reported that One Wall Street’s 566 residences and a Whole Foods Market were expected to open by the end of 2021.

Image credit: courtesy of the International Hildreth MeiereAssociation

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

TKE PROVIDING 110 UNITS TO SHENZHEN AIRPORT CONCOURSE

TKE is providing 40 elevators, 38 escalators, 30 moving walks and two platform lifts to Shenzhen Airport's new satellite concourse, set to open in June. Installation began in August 2020 and was scheduled for completion in March. Building on a relationship that included equipment for the airport's Terminal 3, the order includes two years of maintenance. The moving walks are equipped with rollers installed outside the step chains to facilitate easier maintenance and the installation of stronger bearings. The X-shaped, US$1.5-billion concourse encompasses 238,000 m2 and is expected to serve 22 million passengers per year upon completion. Its center boasts light-filled views up to a roof inspired by the area's winding rivers.

Image credit: courtesy of TKE

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 ACQUIRES BROOKLYN’S PRECISION

American Elevator Group (AEG) has acquired Precision Elevator Corp., based in Brooklyn, New York, and specializing in maintenance, service, modernization and construction of hydraulic, traction and freight elevators throughout the Northeast, AEG announced on March 2. Bobby Schaeffer, CEO of D&D Elevator, which gained investment from AEG in summer 2020 (ELENET 852), observed the acquisition "further strengthens AEG's presence in the New York metro market and adds significant strength to our team." Precision Elevator owner Yuri Novak said he "looks forward to working with AEG to further develop our collective business opportunities."

Image credit: courtesy of Precision Elevator

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

SAUDI ARABIA’S VT INDUSTRY LOOKS TO POST-PANDEMIC RECOVERY

Saudi Arabia's vertical-transportation (VT) industry is poised for recovery from the pandemic due to growing urbanization, increased high-rise construction and the government's Vision 2030 initiative, which involves megaprojects supported by new infrastructure, Arab News reported in February. Demand for elevators and escalators is expected to rebound quickly as projects delayed in 2020 restart. Global consultancy TechSci Research said the kingdom's VT market is projected to be worth US$1.34 billion by 2025, versus US$961 million in 2020. Additional factors driving recovery include growth in the real estate sector, technological advancements in the VT industry and increased direct foreign investment in retail and construction. Taimur Khan, an associate partner at consultancy Knight Frank, told the source he expects new contract activity to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2021.

Image credit: by apriltan18 for Pixabay

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

THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR BECOMES TK ELEVATOR; BRANDED TKE

thyssenkrupp Elevator is now TK Elevator, branded TKE, the company announced on February 25. The new name and brand follows the company's becoming a standalone entity following its purchase by a consortium of Advent, Cinven and RAG AG in February 2020. Suggesting the energy and optimism of a sunrise, the purple and orange colors and bold appearance of the new logo points to the company's aspirations, TKE explained. "The new TKE brand is. . . a great opportunity to strengthen our market positioning and technology leadership in next-generation mobility services, TKE CEO Peter Walker said. “With the recent integration of our cloud-based digital platform MAX into all kinds of new elevator and escalator systems, we have made a significant step toward digitalization of our products and services."

Image credit: courtesy of TKE

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

1,053 APARTMENTS, RETAIL AND PARKING PLANNED IN CHICAGO

A pair of towers designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by Pacific Reach Properties at 601 West Monroe Street in Chicago’s West Loop Gate are set to contain a total of 1,053 apartments, parking and retail, Chicago YIMBY reports. Linked by a podium, the east tower will rise 47 stories and contain 537 apartments, 23,405 ft2 of retail space and 397 parking spots, and the 40-story west tower — adjacent to Heritage Green Park — will contain 516 apartments, 6,904 ft2 of retail and 33 parking spots in a garage. A 2018 plan for the site has evolved to omit a hotel and increase retail on the lower floors to encourage pedestrian activity. A construction timeline was not provided.

Image credit: by SCB

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

Supertalls Part Of Manhattan Empire Station Complex Plan

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the board of directors of Empire State Development (ESD) has adopted a general plan for high-density redevelopment of eight sites surrounding Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, news outlets including New York YIMBY report. Five up-to-1,300-ft-tall supertalls, along with four additional "major skyscrapers," are included in the 20 million-ft2 Empire Station Complex plan to create office space, retail, hotels and residences. Backed by a draft environmental impact statement and set to include major infrastructure improvements and expansions to Penn Station, the ESD plan is slated for completion by 2038. The area is bound by Sixth and Ninth avenues to the east and west and by West 30th and West 34th streets to the south and north. Moynihan Station, which opened in late 2020, is regarded as the first step in what Cuomo described as a "neighborhood-wide revitalization." Next up is a virtual public hearing on March 23, followed by a 30-day public comment period.

Image credit: by Andrew Campbell Nelson for New York YIMBY

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

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