Developments in codes, VT contracts and tall building news across the continent

Slovakia’s First Skyscraper on Drawing Boards

A 168-m-tall tower with 46 above-ground stories is planned by J&T Real Estate on the Danube River in Bratislava, Slovakia, The Slovak Spectator reported. Part of an expansion of the Eurovea mixed-use development, it would be the nation’s first skyscraper. Eurovea 2 would have a total of six structures housing additional retail, residential, parking, public and office space. The tallest building would be close to the Apollo Bridge, with the overall expansion bringing Eurovea’s footprint to 2.3 ha. Also planned is a connection to the planned New Lido riverfront recreation area.

Standards Update

Liftinstituut’s December 2019 update on European lift codes and the coming global lift standards featured Pieter Schaareman, codes and standards manager for Liftinstituut. First, he said that ISO 8100-1 and -2 were published. These global standards are based on EN 81-20 and EN 81-50, can be applied worldwide and will replace the European standards in the future, he added. Further revisions of EN 81-20 (to be published as ISO 8100-1) and EN 81-50 (to be published as ISO 8100-2) will focus on adding the latest technological developments and incorporating observations made by the European Commission. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee 10 has drawn up a three-stage plan for this with a deadline in 2023. After this date, revisions will come under the auspices of the international ISO TC 178.

The revision will include an adaptation of the requirements for lift doors and requirements for evacuation systems. It will also address alternative suspension devices, such as belts and coated cables, and an update for Programmable Electric Safety Systems (PESS). One observation by the European Commission calls for all matters not related to technical requirements to be removed from EN 81-20 and underlying standards.

Schaareman added that while the international committees have no comment as to whether inspection obligations will be extended worldwide, ISO TC 178 is working on a revision of standards that have a “Lifts Directive approach” for the international market, which will also include information about type approvals. ISO 8100 may play a role in this (to provide the minimal requirements). Regardless, this approach will be implemented on a country-by-country basis.

In terms of PESS, Schaareman shared that the options for measurements and monitoring are steadily increasing. Larger lift companies, in particular, continue working with PESS relatively easily. Liftinstituut recently completed a PESS certification project for Otis and was in the middle of the PESS certification project for thyssenkrupp’s MULTI.

Schaareman’s outlook for the future includes revised standards for stairlifts and platform lifts (EN 81-40 and 81-41). He added:

“New standards are also being prepared for low-speed lifts that carry people (EN 81-42) and lifts in wind turbines (EN81-44). And, there are new standards in the pipeline for lifts designed to carry disabled people inside their homes (EN 81-45) and a variant for residential lifts which cover several floors (EN 81-46). The new standard EN 81-13, which relates to the safe entry of lift shafts, is also on its way, as is the new standard EN 81-60. This is a checklist lift companies can use to demonstrate whether an installed lift complies with standard EN 81-20. In addition, the updated standard EN 81-76 for evacuation of persons with disabilities will be published again soon. Related to this topic, the idea of using the lift also as an evacuation device in the event of a fire is increasingly growing, partly due to Liftinstituut’s efforts.”

VT Accessibility Addressed at Belgian Train Stations

National Railway Co. of Belgium (NMBS) wants to address vertical-transportation (VT) equipment availability at Belgian train stations after it was found that, despite paying EUR2 million (US$2.2 million) annually for maintenance, escalators and lifts at stations malfunction approximately 2,000 times a year, The Brussels Times reported. Minister of Mobility François Bellot shared the data after receiving a request from a member of Parliament, who said unfulfilled maintenance contracts should be terminated. Bellot said NMBS is “not satisfied with the service it receives” and that companies are penalized when they fall short. In addition, he said, NMBS is working to make stations more accessible by:

• Increasing the number of units by 30% by 2022, from 560 to 735
• Investing EUR67 million (US$74.2 million) to replace nearly a quarter (150) of current units in 2020

U.K.

KONE Wins Order for New Office Tower in London

KONE announced in December 2019 that it won an order to supply VT, including the company’s UltraRope® hoisting technology, for 8 Bishopsgate, a new, 50-story office building in the City of London. With a stacked block design rising 200 m, 8 Bishopsgate offers terraces and outdoor spaces. The tower will include a public viewing gallery with two dedicated elevators to level 50. Altogether, KONE will deliver 19 MiniSpace™ elevators, 15 of which will be double-deck units using UltraRope carbon fiber-based hoisting technology. One group of four will travel at speeds up to 8 m/s. During construction, JumpLift™ solutions will help speed construction time.

In the podium, KONE will install two MonoSpace® 700 elevators and two TransitMaster™ 110 escalators, and the building will be equipped with the E-Link™ facility- management system. KONE’s destination-control system will reduce waiting and traveling times, and InfoScreens will provide multimedia information inside the elevators and improve guidance within the building.

8 Bishopsgate will be certified with the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method’s Excellent Standard, a green building certification system. The developer is Stanhope Plc, in partnership with Mitsubishi Estates, and the project is being constructed by Lendlease. Other project partners include architect WilkinsonEyre, technical consultant Arup and construction cost consultants Alinea Consulting. Construction began in March 2019 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

London’s Second-Tallest Tower, 1 Undershaft, Wins Approval

After a three-year battle that included the potential impact on the Tower of London, 1 Undershaft (ELEVATOR WORLD, February 2016) — also known as The Trellis — has won approval from City of London Corp., Metro reported in December 2019.

The 73-story, 1,000-ft-tall office tower is set to rise between 30 St Mary Axe (the Gherkin) (EW, February 2016) and the Leadenhall Building (the Cheesegrater) (EW, September 2012), and will stand only 17 ft shy of the Shard’s height, making it London’s second-tallest building. Developed by Aroland Holdings of Singapore and designed by Eric Parry Architects (EPA), the structure will include a new public square, 70th-floor viewing platform and restaurant that “reconnect the city’s tall-building cluster with the public,” EPA Director Eric Parry said. A construction timeline was not provided.

Pair of 51-Story Towers Part of Larger Manchester Plan

In late 2019, developer Renaker Build moved forward with plans to build two 51-story towers on the edge of the city center of Manchester, Place North West reported. Designed by SimpsonHaugh and Partners, the latest towers represent the second phase of Renaker’s Crown Tower scheme, part of a larger development around Great Jackson Street that will yield more than 6,500 apartments within 23 towers. Next to the Chester Road roundabout and Mancunian Way, the two latest towers will rise next to Renaker’s under-construction, 52-story Elizabeth Tower. They will include 865 apartments, a school, a public park and a public car park.

Two Projects in South London Win Approval

Architect Maccreanor Lavington has won approval for a pair of high-rise developments that would bring nearly 500 new homes to Old Kent Road in south London, Building Design reported in December 2019. The first project calls for a 39-story brick-clad residential tower as the centerpiece of a three- building development. It will have a total of 372 homes and retail, workspace and a café. It will also have roof gardens on the lower levels and a three-story church at the base of the tower, which will be occupied by an existing neighboring ministry. Two adjacent buildings will be residential at upper levels and have 2,500 m2 of light industrial and retail space at the bottom. It is being developed by Civic Centre and Livesey Place.

The other project calls for a 22-story, stepped, faceted building bringing 111 homes to the Ruby Street Triangle, just across Old Kent Road. Developer Acorn Commercial, Ltd. plans workspace, retail and cafés, and will also provide a new home for a church, with facilities for its social outreach program, which includes youth work, childcare, after-school clubs, adult education and help for the homeless. The homes will range from one to three bedrooms, and 36% of them will be categorized as affordable.