Calling On Visionaries

Some 25 years ago, my father, William C. Sturgeon, (with the help of others in the industry) tried to imagine what the building transportation world would be like in the year 2020. The year snuck up on me, but many of the ideas proposed in 1995 are coming into being before our very eyes: multiple cars in a single shaft, linear drives, ultra-high buildings and fire evacuation by elevator. Some ideas, of course, have fallen by the wayside. Change is accelerating as we move into the coming decades, and we hope to stimulate your imagination and inspire you to tell us what you think will happen in the future.

With this issue, our format has changed. The type is a little sharper and the layouts more exotic to reflect some newcomers to our production teams. As we acquire new audiences in Europe, the U.K., and the Middle East to add to those in India, Turkey and the Americas, we are looking to modernize across all editions. Let us know what you think.

We lead this issue with the Project of the Year Awards. There were many amazing entries this year. Judging is never easy, but these are the best of the best:

• Elevators, New Construction: Vessel, NYC: The team overcomes challenges to create “one of the world’s most complicated elevators,” a centerpiece of Hudson Yards.
• Elevators, Modernization: Empire State Building, NYC: Otis is chosen again for a showcase elevator (and more) in the iconic skyscraper.
• Escalators, New Construction: Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore: Strict requirements from the architect impose challenges for equipment that helps move 82 million people a year.
• Escalators, Modernization: San Diego Convention Center: Escalators upgraded at the famous home of San Diego Comic-Con pose unique challenge for KONE.
• Inclined Elevators: Riosol Island of Stars Hotel, Mogán, Spain: Unique mountainside resort inspires an equally unique lift project.
• Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts: Yacht Obsession, Mystic, Connecticut: Innovative engineering leads to wheelchair access solution for the “lobster yacht” Obsession.
• Special-Purpose Lifts: Mega Elevator, Tel Aviv, Israel: An automotive factory’s large loads call for a jumbo elevator.
• Elevators, Upgrades and Repairs, Chelm, Poland: The Guide Assessment device quickly identifies rails in need of replacement.

You must read our interview with Marja-Liisa Siikonen, At the Very Top. She is one of Finland’s most notable female inventors (retired from KONE) with more than 100 patents to her name.

A 50|50 Proposition by Lee Gray reports on CTBUH’s 10th World Congress that celebrated a half century since the group’s founding while looking ahead 50 years. Many major elevator companies presented their news of the future. The event culminated in a Beaux Arts ball where architects came dressed as their most famous buildings!

The second annual International Elevator and Escalator Symposium (IEES 2019) was reported by Angie Baldwin. Sponsored by Liftinstituut and Elevator World, the event gathered experts who shared their knowledge with more than 100 attendees in Las Vegas. The topic was Maintenance and Safety, the same as this issue’s focus. We have included three papers from the symposium:

• Looking to the Future by Dr. Naohiko Suzuki, Shin-ichi Kuroda and Kenji Serizawa is an extremely important article that proposes remote maintenance services. Though controversial in the U.S, Mitsubishi Electric has integrated it into 150,000 units in Japan.
• Steps for Reducing Accidents by Manuel Díez describes maintenance and inspection around the world and concludes that inspection must be independent to ensure safety.
• Reducing Risk by Louis Bialy describes the various stages of failure in equipment and how maintenance at every stage helps elevators be reliable for longer.

This year’s IEES also looks to the future. The next event will be in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on Dec 7-8 with the topic “The Future of Vertical Transportation in 2030.” Calling all visionaries!