Elevator and tall building news from all over the continent

Cibes Lift Group Acquires Sweden’s Hiss i Skåne

Elevator manufacturer Cibes Lift Group, which is headquartered in Gävle, Sweden, and has roughly 560 employees worldwide, recently acquired Hiss i Skåne, a lift modernization, installation and maintenance specialist based in Malmö, Sweden, that has close to 30 employees. With approximately 2,200 lifts under service today, Hiss i Skåne was founded in 2006 by Urban Strandberg, Stefan Laffrenzen and Anders Claus and has grown to become the largest privately owned lift company in the Skåne region. Cibes CEO Per Lidström said:

“The acquisition is perfectly in line with our growth strategy and will both strengthen our position in southern Sweden and broaden our operations and expertise in service and aftersales. Furthermore, Hiss i Skåne will benefit from Cibes’ strength in product development, marketing and sales.”

Ascension Completes Dublin Atrium Mod

Dublin, Ireland-based Ascension Lifts Ltd. has completed a EUR750,000 (US$800,000) modernization of the elevators serving the former Microsoft Headquarters at the Atrium Building in Dublin, which the company calls one of the largest of its kind in the country. Work included transforming eight eight-stop, semipanoramic elevators from bottom-side-drive geared systems to fully top-drive machine-room-less systems using Ziehl-Abegg SM Gearless machines with NEWLift Controls’ flexible FST2 LON Bus technology and Fermator PREMIUM Door Operators.

These replaced the original 50/11 variable-frequency system. The project also included the installation of new controllers on two additional goods/passenger lifts. All work was completed within a tight timeframe of 26 weeks. A short case-study video on the project is available at vimeo.com/303062700.

55-Story Tower Would Be Among Tallest in Greater Manchester

In September, public consultations were underway for One Heritage Property Developments’ plan for 55- and 16-story towers on New Bridge Street in Salford, part of Greater Manchester, U.K., The Business Desk reported. Called One Heritage, the property would offer one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. If it’s built, the 55-story structure would be among the tallest in Greater Manchester. “We have worked closely with Salford City Council to create a building that not only ties with Salford’s aspirations for the area but will make a significant contribution to the skyline of this emerging quarter of the city,” said Nick Berry of One Heritage architect OMI.

Birmingham’s Tallest Residential Tower Nears Completion

The Bank II, at more than 100 m tall the tallest residential building in Birmingham, U.K., was nearing completion in late August, Buy Association reported. The tower, which is scheduled for completion by the end of the year, contains 217 apartments within its 33 stories, the source said.

A sister project to Bank I, which completed in summer 2018, Bank II offers a mix of studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The project has attracted interest from investors internationally thanks to its central location 5 min from Birmingham’s New Street station. Building amenities include an onsite gym, shared open space, ground-floor restaurants and shops, and a concierge service. It is being developed by Regal Property Group.

Croatia’s Tallest Tower, a Marriott, Set to Open in 2020

The 27-story, 115-m-tall Westgate Tower B, which will house a Courtyard by Marriott hotel and be the tallest building in Croatia, is making upward progress in Split, Total Croatia News reported in September when work was underway on the 23rd and 24th floors. Completion is anticipated in 2020 on the skyscraper, which will be known as Dalmatia and have 200 hotel rooms between the 16th and 26th floors. A top-floor sky bar will boast views of the surrounding countryside. An adjoining, shorter tower houses OTP Bank. Nearby real estate activity suggests Dalmatia could be joined by additional towers in coming years.

Housing Shortage, Land Prices to Fuel Netherlands High-Rise Boom

Surging land prices and a housing shortage are expected to prompt a high-rise building boom in the Netherlands, with the number of tall apartment buildings in the country doubling by 2025, the NL Times reports. The country currently has 26 residential buildings taller than 100 m, but research by Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD) finds that if all such buildings in planning stages are built, that number will rise to 55.

Rotterdam, for example, has 12 residential towers taller than 100 m, the most of any city in the country, and another — a 125-m tower, the highest among the Benelux countries — is under construction. There are firm plans to build nine more in coming years, and another 18 are being considered. The Hague and Eindhoven will also see more housing skyscrapers. Some 3,000 new homes are planned at sites around rail stations in The Hague, which already has five apartment buildings over 100 m tall and at least 14 more planned.

Not all cities are keen to build higher, however. Amsterdam currently has only two buildings taller than 100 m, and any new towers are mainly focused on the north side of the IJ, a defining body of water. “Amsterdam’s resistance has to do with the historic city center,” businessman Klaas de Boer told AD. The city of Breda does not allow buildings taller than 97 m, the height of its current tallest building.

Elevators to Be Required in Four-Story Buildings in Ukraine

An updated construction standard that will require elevators in buildings with four or more floors will go into effect on December 1, Kyiv Post reported in August. According to the requirement, it will also be recommended that passenger elevators be installed in houses with three or more floors, as well. Machine rooms, block rooms, stairs and the designs of the elevators must meet current building standards. The number of elevators required for each building will depend on the number of people who live there. This new standard was developed to replace a 2005 requirement considered outdated.