A major event and tall-tower construction drive work for OEMs around the globe.

KONE Providing 180 Units to World Expo 2020 Dubai

KONE has been selected to provide 180 units to World Expo 2020, taking place in Dubai from October 20, 2020-April 10, 2021. The grounds are designed in the shape of a flower, with Al Wasl Plaza the central visitor hub connecting three, petal-shaped thematic districts — each reflecting one of the expo’s sub-themes of mobility, sustainability and opportunity. The order consists of 151 MonoSpace®, six platform and one limited-mobility elevator, as well as 16 TravelMasterTM 110 escalators, six dumbwaiters and the E-LinkTM system-management tool. Set to become a new, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold-certified city called District 2020 after the expo, the thematic districts include six pavilion buildings designed for commercial, residential and retail use. Architects for the thematic districts and Al Wasl Plaza are Hopkins Architects Dubai and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, respectively.

Brazil’s Fastest Elevators by thyssenkrupp in Birmann 32

Brazil’s fastest elevators, traveling at 7 mps, are part of a 27-unit order landed by thyssenkrupp for the 29-story, 125-m-tall Birmann 32 project in São Paulo. Elevators serving the upper zone of the building on Faria Lima Avenue will traverse 29 floors in approximately 30 s. In addition to the office tower, the project includes 13,500 m2 of event and theater space and a large, covered plaza. Twenty-three elevators will serve the tower: 16 for passengers, four for the parking garage, two for cargo transportation and one serving a restaurant. Another four elevators will serve the four-story theater. thyssenkrupp Chief Operating Officer Peter Walker said, “The elevators can travel the equivalent of more than 25.2 kph, and are a real milestone development for Brazil’s building landscape.” Additional features include the AGILE elevator-management and MAX predictive-maintenance systems. Faria Lima Prime Properties is the developer and Chien Chung “Didi” Pei is the architect.

38 Captivate Elevator Screens Coming to Toronto Skyscraper

Captivate continues its Canadian expansion (ELEVATOR WORLD, June 2017) with a deal with Ivanhoé Cambridge and Hines to install 38 elevator screens in the CIBC Square office tower in downtown Toronto (EW, November 2018). Upon the tower’s completion in 2020, Captivate’s digital video screens will provide information and entertainment to CIBC tenants, including Microsoft and Boston Consulting Group. In a recent survey of property owners and managers, Captivate said 88% believe the screens enhance building communications, and 73% said they improve overall tenant experience. As for tenants, 82% said they had a more enjoyable elevator experience with the screens, and 78% said they would be disappointed if the screens were removed.

75-Story Surfers Paradise Tower to Be Equipped by KONE

KONE has been selected to provide vertical-transportation (VT) solutions for Ocean, a 75-story hotel/apartment tower being developed by Meriton in Surfers Paradise on Australia’s Gold Coast. Set to become the Gold Coast’s third-tallest tower, Ocean is located at 84 The Esplanade, just north of famous pedestrian mall Cavill Avenue. Included in the VT package are TravelMasterTM 110 escalators, MonoSpace® elevators and MiniSpaceTM elevators traveling at speeds of up to 7 mps. A JumpLiftTM elevator will be used during construction, and destination and access-control systems are also part of the package. The new tower will set the record for number of apartments in one building.

VFA Forum Call for Papers

VFA-Interlift e.V. has announced the VFA Forum, to be held at Interlift 2019 on October 15-18 at Messe Augsburg in Augsburg, Germany. The lecture forum for exhibitors and visitors of the larger event will allow presentations of approximately 20 min. long followed by discussion. Main topics this year are:

• New products and services
• Development and implementation of standardization
• International markets: U.K. after Brexit, India’s future market, Turkey as the gateway to the Middle East, Poland and South Africa
• Elevator 4.0: smart handling of smart elevators and changed business models
• Building information modeling for the elevator: new roles, processes and data
• The elevator and its users: design meets emotions
• Qualification of personnel in the elevator industry

The deadline for lecture submission is April 12 and should include speaker names, company/institution, communication data and a 10-line summary of content in German and English. Presentations will be published on the VFA website (www.vfa-interlift.de) after the show.

Coquitlam Council OKs Tower Hearing Despite Reservations

The City Council in Coquitlam, Canada, agreed to a public hearing to rezone a piece of property at 520 Cottonwood Avenue in the Burquitlam neighborhood to make way for a 29-story, 251-unit residential high rise, despite reservations, Tri-City News reported. Those include developer Ledingham McAllister’s plan for four levels of underground parking with 310 spaces — 20 fewer than required by the city — and lack of a childcare facility. The developer is proposing transit passes in lieu of the additional parking. Councilors did say that Leadingham McAllister’s tower would be the fourth for the area, and that one of the larger developments might be more suitable for a childcare facility.