Elevator World

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

SCHLOSS IS NEW INSIDE SALES MANAGER AT PME

Phoenix Modular Elevator (PME), headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, has hired Kelly Schloss as Inside Sales manager, serving as the primary contact and account manager for architects, general contractors and builders. She is also providing quotes and customer service. Schloss earned an MA in English from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, and has spent her career in education and customer service. PME said her experience and communication skills will be an asset to the company as it experiences continued growth.

ISRAEL REACHES FOR THE SKY WITH RECORD-BREAKING TOWERS

Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv, Israel, have record-breaking towers in the works, including a 111-floor, 444-m-tall office building in Ramat Gan near the Diamond Exchange that will be the tallest in Israel, Globes reports, crediting Yediot Ahronot. Designed by Israeli architect Avner Yashar, the Ramat Gan plan includes a 77-floor high rise, with the buildings together boasting 400,000 m2. Ramat Gan officials OK'd the scheme only three months after the Tel Aviv Planning and Building Committee increased the approved height of the "Between the Cities" project, located several hundred meters south of the proposed Ramat Gan tower, from 75 to 100 floors. The moves reflect a decades-old friendly rivalry between the cities. Ramat Gan has Israel's tallest building, the 68-story, 233-m-tall Moshe Aviv Tower. That is soon to be surpassed, however, by Tel Aviv's 73-story, 238-m-tall Sarona Azrieli.

WOMAN INJURED IN ESCALATOR FALL AT OHIO AIRPORT

A 70-year-old woman suffered lacerations to her leg as a result of falling down an escalator at the Dayton International Airport in Ohio on July 24, Dayton Daily News reports. After falling most of the length of the down escalator, she was treated by airport staff, then transported to a hospital. The newspaper notes escalator-related accidents are rare in southwest Ohio, with one of the last incidents reported in December 2015 involving a theft suspect jumping from an escalator while attempting to elude police.

Images courtesy of barnes-israel-sarona.com & hofmann-naturstein.com

https://www.barnes-israel-sarona.com/

https://www.hofmann-naturstein.com/

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

TECH-ORIENTED WARSAW HUB TO FORM NEW BUSINESS CENTER

Construction is underway on The Warsaw Hub, two 130-m-tall and one 85-m-tall towers atop a base, described by developer Ghelamco as a high-tech business center in the heart of the Polish capital, akin to its previous project, Warsaw Spire. For the first time in Poland, Microsoft's HoloLens technology was used to help interested parties visualize the project, which will encompass flexible office space geared toward startups, a conference center and two hotels within approximately 113,000 m2. Located at the intersection of Towarowa and Prosta streets, the project was designed by Andrzej M. Chołdzyński and is scheduled for completion before 2020.

PAIR OF RESIDENTIAL TOWERS FOR VANCOUVER SUBURB

Bosa Development and the city of New Westminster, Canada, part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, have settled on a plan to build 43- and 53-story residential towers and a low-rise commercial building on the waterfront, New Westminster Record reports. Bosa worked with the city to address concerns about emergency access, inadequate infrastructure and blocked views. The plan, now known as Pier West, evolved from 13 to three to two towers and includes parking, two acres of public park and new pedestrian connections linking Westminster Pier Park, Fraser Discovery Centre and River Market. City leaders say the project will impart a "neighborhood feel" and create new landmarks for New Westminster.

NEW JERSEY CITY PATH STATION LIFT HAVING “GROWING PAINS”

A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey described at least four breakdowns of a wheelchair-accessible lift at the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) Grove Street station since opening on June 30 as “growing pains” that are subsiding, The Jersey Journal reports. It took the authority approximately two years to build the US$4-million lift after being ordered by a federal judge to do so amid protests from accessibility advocates. An elevator takes riders from the corner of Grove Street and Columbus Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, to the station mezzanine. They can then ride the lift down to the platform.

Image courtesy of ghelamco.com:

http://www.ghelamco.com/site/pl/en/project-detail/38/1/the-warsaw-hub.html

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

WORKER DIES IN ELEVATOR IN UNDER-CONSTRUCTION NYC BUILDING

A 53-year-old electrician working in an under construction, 52-story residential tower in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City (NYC) was found dead in one of the building’s elevators on July 23, various news outlets, including the New York Post, report. An investigation is ongoing, but authorities say the man became trapped in the lift on the fifth floor when the power was shut off, and died from asphyxiation while trying to free himself.

SIX BUILDINGS UP TO 53 STORIES FOR LONDON’S SOUTH BANK

A 53-story, 183.5-m-tall residential tower with ground-level retail designed by Wilkinson Eyre is part of a six-building, mixed-use plan for 18 Blackfriars Road on London's South Bank, Building Design reports. A 34-story office building by Brisac Gonzalez Architecture, as well as hotel and residential buildings ranging from 12-19 stories, is part of the scheme. All buildings would be linked by a four-story, underground basement. The 52-story tower will stand above its 50- and 49-story neighbors and dwarf a nearby historic pub and 1960 church deemed significant because of its stained glass.

RC3: “AVANT GARDE” CONDO TOWER RISING IN TORONTO

A 29-story, black-and-white clad tower described by Urban Toronto as avant garde is rising above River Street in the West Don Lands neighborhood of Toronto. In July, River City 3 (RC3) had reached 21 stories, and interior construction had commenced on the lower levels. Urban Property Group is the developer of the multiphase project, and Saucier + Perrotte Architects he behind the design. Dark tinted window walls and white panels make up the cladding, and a "series of drawer-like volumes" make the building stand out from its neighbors.

Image courtesy of bdonline.co.uk:

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/wilkinson-eyre-set-to-bag-planning-for-blackfriars-bridge-tower-%E2%80%93-again/5088783.article#

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

VT SYSTEM FOR TORONTO ACADEMIC LIBRARY EXPANSION

The lobby of Robarts Common, the Diamond Schmitt Architects-designed expansion of Robarts Library at the University of Toronto, will be outfitted with three machine-room-less KONE elevators, Diamond Schmitt Director of Communications Paul French tells ELEVATOR WORLD. The five-story addition to the main, 14-story building will add 1,200 work and study spaces to Toronto's largest academic library, described as a prime example of the concrete Brutalist style of the 1960s. Expected to be complete for the 2019-2020 academic year, the freestanding expansion will connect with the existing building via a four-story bridge.

VT SHUTDOWN AT NY CONVENTION CENTER HIGHLIGHTS NEEDS

The recent shutdown of the 10 escalators at the Floreano Rochester Convention Center in Rochester, New York, highlights the need to upgrade the center’s vertical-transportation (VT) system, which, at approximately 30 years old, is reaching the end of its lifespan, News 10 NBC reports. A step on one of the escalators broke in May. No one was injured, but the incident prompted a shutdown of the system for evaluation that lasted through at least July 20. It would cost approximately US$1 million to replace the aging escalators, and tourism leaders are hoping to get some help from the state.

MILWAUKEE OFFICE TOWER POISED TO OPEN TO TENANTS

Employees of Northwestern Mutual are set to move into their new corporate headquarters in downtown Milwaukee on August 21, BizTimes reports. The US$450-million, 32-story Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons is mostly complete, with support staff already working inside its 1.1 million sq. ft. in advance of the opening. Contractors Gilbane and C.G. Schmidt initially handled construction. The building has now been turned over to Northwestern Mutual.

Image courtesy of VisitRochester and Paul Van Hoy, Fotoimpressions

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

TSSA UNEXPECTEDLY RESCINDS ORDER

Ontario's Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) has rescinded a sweeping three-year-old upgrade directive. According to CP 24, the industry has reacted with both surprise and anger. At issue are older single-speed elevators typically found in lower-rise buildings. In 2014, TSSA ordered all of them in the province (700-1,200) to be significantly upgraded by improving leveling accuracy to less than 1 cm. The deadline for compliance was the end of 2021. However, TSSA has announced the mandate was no longer necessary, explaining, "TSSA has continued to monitor and review incident, maintenance and inspection order data. The outcome is that the data trends do not support the mandatory upgrade of single-speed elevator-motion controls.” This TSSA letter is being mailed to owners.

HEIGHT OF PROPOSED TASMANIAN HOTELS SPARKS CONTROVERSY

The Fragrance Group, Singaporean developer of a pair of proposed hotels in Hobart, is getting flak from local officials concerned the structures will mar the historic character of their city, capital of the Australian island state of Tasmania, ABC News reports. The Fragrance Group has increased heights of the proposed buildings by 90 m to 120 m for a Davey Street hotel and by 21 m to 94 m for one on Collins Street. The 120-m-tall structure would have 186 m of inhabitable floors and a 24-m-tall spire. A Hobart councilman also voiced concerns about lack of infrastructure. A consultant hired by the city recommended against any new structures taller than 75 m. Hobart's current tallest building is the Wrest Point Casino at 73 m.

TAMIL NADU PROPOSAL TARGETS ESCALATOR SAFETY

The government of India’s Tamil Nadu state introduced a bill aimed at ensuring the safe operation of escalators on July 17, the Times of India reported. The proposal, brought forth by Electricity Minister P. Thangamani, would, upon enactment, give owners of buildings with escalators two months to obtain a license from the chief electrical inspector. After those two months, unlicensed escalators would be shut down until the license is obtained. Under terms of the proposal, the license application would include a fee not to exceed INR1,000 (US$15.52), and, once approved, the license would be valid for three years. The bill is being offered as an amendment to the Tamil Nadu Lifts Act of 1997.

Image courtesy of abc.net.au:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-14/hobart-skyscraper-heights-increased-plans-reveal/8710496

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

MOTION ACQUIRES PARTS SUPPLIER NUMATIC

Nationwide parts distributor Motion Industries, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Co., is acquiring Numatic Engineering of Los Angeles on August 1. Founded in 1955, Numatic has more than 60 years of experience selling and supporting automation components with a UL 508 listing. Its products include pneumatic automation, electrical motion controls, programmable logic controllers, variable-frequency drives, machine vision, sensors, industrial communication and robotics. It has built a presence throughout California and Nevada, and will be operated as part of Motion’s Automation Solutions group.

CORRIGAN JOINS SCHAEFER ELEVATOR COMPONENTS SALES TEAM

Todd Corrigan is a new sales representative at SCHAEFER Elevator Components, Inc., headquartered in Surrey, Canada, becoming a point of contact for SCHAEFER customers throughout North America. Corrigan has been involved in industries such as manufacturing, health sciences and consulting. He holds an MBA from Royal Roads University in Victoria, Canada, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Manitoba. The company said Corrigan “brings a great deal of experience as a solutions provider, and we are confident that customers will be very satisfied with the. . .customer service he provides.”

IN MEMORIAM: GEORGE H. BECKER

George H. Becker of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, a longtime elevator man and clock enthusiast, passed away on July 12 at the age of 72. An Army veteran who served in Okinawa, Japan, Becker worked in the elevator services department of Westinghouse, then Schindler, for 40 years before retiring in 2012. He was a member of the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 5. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Cora; children, Susan, James, Penny and Steven; seven grandchildren; and three brothers. Services are planned at Bethany Evangelical Church in Havertown. Memorial donations for cancer research may be made to the Lankenau Medical Center Oncology Department

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

DRAKA ACHIEVES SAFETY MILESTONE

The North Carolina operations of Draka Elevator Products, an integrated business of Prysmian Group, surpassed one million hours worked without a lost-time accident in April. The milestone was achieved in February for all of Draka's North American operations. The achievement represents the work of more than 300 employees, each of whom was honored with a steak lunch, commemorative T-shirt and letter of thanks. The last occurrence of a lost-time accident was recorded more than two years ago.

MoSS SET FOR DECEMBER IN SPAIN

The Seventh Symposium on Mechanics of Slender Structures (MoSS) will take place on December 14-15 in Mérida, Spain. The symposium will bring together experts from various fields and is aimed at improving the understanding of structural and thermomechanical properties and the behavior of slender structures. The methods for the suppression of adverse dynamic responses of ropes, cables, tethers, chains, yarns and fibers will be addressed in technical papers with a wide range of subjects. Some of the papers will be published in open-access peer-reviewed journal Transportation Systems in Buildings, edited and managed jointly by the University of Northampton and event supporter Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers Lifts Group.

THE SAX TO JOIN ROTTERDAM’S “MANHATTAN ON THE MAAS”

Dutch architecture firm MVRDV has won a design competition for The Sax, a structure consisting of 51-story, 150- and 70-m-tall towers linked by a skybridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands, World Architecture News reports. Containing approximately 450 apartments, a hotel, a wellness center and commercial facilities within 82,000 m2, the structure will further add to Rotterdam's "Manhattan on the Maas" skyline overlooking the Rhine River distributary. Developers BPD Bouwfonds Property Development, Ontwikkeling B.V. and SYNCHROON Ontwikkelaars, in conjunction with the municipality of Rotterdam, are behind the project.

Image courtesy of Pixabay via Skitterphoto:

https://pixabay.com/en/construction-helmet-colorful-1160260/

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

LANDMARK MANHATTAN BUILDING TO MAKE WAY FOR TOWER

The turn-of-the century Beaux Arts Kaskel & Kaskel building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and West 32nd Street in Manhattan, New York, will be replaced by a 40-story mixed-use tower designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), DNAinfo New York reports. KPF filed plans to build the 539-ft.-tall tower with the New York City Department of Buildings in July. The project includes lower-level retail, condominiums starting on the eighth floor and resident amenities. Kaskel & Kaskel was a men's clothier that catered to the rich and famous, including President Theodore Roosevelt.

SAN FRANCISCO’S BART EMBARKS ON ESCALATOR REPAIR

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in San Francisco is repairing 12 escalators at four stations. The work involves replacing controllers and overhauling electrical systems of units that continue to malfunction. The units will be taken out of service while work is performed, with the first, at Embarcadero, being out of service from July 24 until mid October. Other stations with escalators to be repaired are Montgomery, 16th and 24th Mission. Aimed at providing more reliable access, the project is slated for completion in 2018.

CONDO TOWER PLANNED NEXT TO HISTORIC SEATTLE CHURCH

A church, built in the 1890s in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood, is set to get a neighbor: a 30-story condominium tower that will also house operations such as a food bank and other nonprofits, Curbed Seattle reports. Trinity Episcopal Parish sold development rights to Australia’s Caydon Property Group but will retain ownership of the property, which will have “affordable” units. Chicago-based SCB Architects and Clint Pehrson Architect are the designers. The tower will contain approximately 200 units. Construction is expected to start in a year and be complete by 2020.

Image courtesy of seattle.curbed.com:

https://seattle.curbed.com/2017/7/11/15955952/trinity-parish-condo-tower-first-hill

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

FOUNDATION POUR FOR CHICAGO APARTMENT TOWER

Power Construction handled the first concrete pour for the 56-story, 607-ft.-tall Essex on the Park at 808 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago on July 10, Curbed Chicago reports. The effort involved 950 cu. yd. of concrete and 168 T. of rebar. The US$240-million project includes redevelopment of the Essex Inn, which opened in 1961, next door. Designed by HPA, the new, glassy tower is set to contain approximately 480 apartments, ground-level retail and parking across from Grant Park. It is scheduled for completion in 2019.

 

GRACE PERIOD TO REGISTER ILLEGAL HOME ELEVATORS IN NYC

New York City’s (NYC) Department of Buildings (DOB) is offering a grace period for owners of illegal home elevators to register them without penalty within 90 days of July 6. The DOB is also performing inspections and tests of unregistered units free of charge during this period. Every elevating device, including dumbwaiters, platform lifts and stairway chairlifts, must be registered and have a certificate of compliance from the DOB. The move comes after a woman suffered serious injuries in May using an unregistered lift illegally installed in a Manhattan home. Those wishing to participate should email the DOB’s Elevator Unit or call them at (212) 393-2555.

 

CHILD’S HAND, ARM INJURED IN U.K. ESCALATOR MISHAP

A four-year-old boy suffered injuries to his hand and arm on July 6 as a result of placing his hand in the brush area at the bottom of an escalator at a department store in Stockton-On-Tees, U.K., GazetteLive reports. It took firefighters approximately 20 min. to free the boy, who was then transferred to an ambulance. The extent of his injuries is unknown. Security footage showed the incident, and the escalator’s safety features were found to be in good working order by an independent engineer.

 

STILTZ LAUNCHES WEBSITE FOR CANADA

Home elevator manufacturer Stiltz Lifts is now marketing in Canada with a new website. All sales of its residential elevators in Canada will continue to be delivered from Stiltz USA, based in Pennsylvania. Future objectives include expanding its dealer sales channel in Canada by appointing more partners, eventually providing full coverage across the country, which it enjoys in the U.S. and U.K. The company was founded in the U.K. in 2010 and opened the North American headquarters three years later.

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

BIG PROPOSAL IN CHICAGO FROM VISTA TOWER DEVELOPER

Magellan Development Group and its partners hope to build a quartet of towers ranging from 40 to 80 stories in the 28-acre Lakeshore East mixed-use development in Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reports. Magellan, with a Chinese partner, is already building the 94-story Vista Tower, which will be Chicago's third-tallest building upon completion. With Australia's Lendlease, Magellan plans towers of approximately 40, 50 and 80 stories with 1,400 condos along Lake Shore just south of the Chicago River. With South Korea's Hanwha Engineering & Construction, it aims to build a 60-story tower with 640 apartments and approximately 570 hotel rooms. bKL is the architect of the project.

CECA SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The Canadian Elevator Contractors Association (CECA) has announced the winners of its second annual scholarship awards. They are: Kevin Nan (for general studies), son of Tony Yi Nan of thyssenkrupp, and Thomas Plow (elevator studies) of Venture Elevator. The CAD2,500 (US$1,964) scholarships are valid toward attending an educational institute in Canada. The contest was open to members of CECA, all employees, their (step) children and/or grandchildren intending to further postsecondary studies in 2017-2018.

WHEELCHAIR ESCALATOR MISHAP CLAIMS LIFE IN JAPAN

A grim reminder of why strollers and wheelchairs do not belong on escalators occurred in Takamatsu City, Japan, on July 10, Japan Today reports. That morning, a woman in a wheelchair and her husband, who was pushing the wheelchair up an escalator, lost their balance and fell on a 76-year-old female passenger below. The passenger died from her injuries approximately eight hours later. The store where the incident occurred had an elevator, as well as signs warning against using strollers and wheelchairs on the escalator. The incident is under investigation.

FUTURE SYMPOSIUMS ANNOUNCED

The eighth and ninth editions of the Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies have been announced for May 15, 2018, in Hong Kong, and September 19-20, 2018, in Northampton, U.K. The May event will be held at The Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel. Experts in the field of vertical transportation may present peer-reviewed papers, provided their abstracts are accepted. The deadline for abstract submission for the Hong Kong event is November 30, with notifications of acceptance to be sent by the end of the year. Speakers will include industry experts, academics and postgraduate students.

Image courtesy of chicagotribune.com:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-lakeshore-east-new-buildings-ryan-ori-0712-biz-20170710-column.html

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