Big contracts in Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam

thyssenkrupp Installs Modern Technology Above Ancient Aqueduct

thyssenkrupp recently completed a challenging installation in Rome: 16 escalators and 10 elevators at the Rinascente department store, where the company worked “day and night” for approximately a year above the delicate remains of the Vergine Aqueduct, inaugurated by Augustus in 19 B.C. Parts of the aqueduct, which still carries water to many fountains such as the famous Trevi fountain, are situated in the store’s basement. The vertical-transportation system installed above it moves up to 90,000 people per hour in the 14,000-m2 store, the second largest in Italy behind its counterpart in Milan. Weighing more than 120 mT, the escalators traverse a distance of approximately 200 m. The elevators, weighing 35 mT, are designed to carry 4,800 people per hour each across the building’s eight floors.

Escalator Work Part of Madrid Metro Contracts

The Madrid metro announced the awarding of EUR238.5 million (US$278.25 million) to three unnamed maintenance contractors in November 2017, Global Rail News reported. While most of the money will be spent on cleaning stations over the course of the next four years, EUR13 million (US$15.2 million) for escalator maintenance over the same period is included. Work, including step-chain replacement, will take place on 634 of the network’s 1,700 escalators. More than 2.2 million people use the metro daily.

Amsterdam WTC Extension Includes 80-m-Tall Tower

Construction is expected to start in April on an expansion of the World Trade Center (WTC) in Amsterdam’s central business district that includes an 80-m-tall, or approximately 24-story, tower, World Architecture News reported. Designed by PLP Architecture, the expansion also includes three new pavilions and will add 32,000 m2 to the WTC’s current 115,000. The tower will be on the eastern side of the complex, while the pavilions, separated by glazed atria, will “animate the northern edge” and be used as flexible meeting hubs. The plan was approved in September 2017, and completion is anticipated in 2020.

Liftinstituut Solutions and Lift Inspect Ltd. have signed a license agreement that enables Lift Inspect to conduct statutory elevator and escalator inspections according to Liftinstituut Solutions standards and branding. Additionally, Liftinstituut Solutions acquired a minority share in Lift Inspect. Marco Waagmeester, managing director of Liftinstituut Holding, commented, “Having set up businesses in Turkey and Singapore, we are delighted to now be able to spread our silver-triangle inspection label as a sign of safety across Ireland.”

Liz Orford, director of Lift Inspect, added:

“Our partnership with Liftinstituut Solutions enables us to access knowledge of inspection methods and worldwide rules and regulations concerning safety norms. We experience an urgent need in the Irish market for safety enhancements and, therefore, expect to grow rapidly. This [partnership helps] us to make that growth sustainable and to retain high quality standards.”