Elevator World’s 27th Annual Project of the Year

Every year, Project of the Year (PoY) time is heavily anticipated. Like our annual photo contest, it gives us the chance to virtually travel around the world to explore cities’ amazing buildings and their vertical-transportation (VT) systems. Although undoubtedly more work, judging the PoY entries is also more fun, as entries include fascinating stories that take us on journeys from project conception to delivery — journeys filled with challenges and rewards. This year’s 27th annual PoY competition is distinguished by the quality of each and every entry. In several cases, choosing an ultimate winner was quite the challenge, with only fractions of a point separating them in the hierarchy. Contenders came from North America, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Cities represented include Dubai, London, Los Angeles, NYC, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. Winners include a moving walk serving the world’s longest airside bridge; escalators that take passengers through a huge aquarium filled with sharks, eels, stingrays and many other creatures; an intricate and technologically complex elevator system serving one of Dubai’s most architecturally ambitious new towers; and an escalator system that wends its way through a heavily populated, mountainous city in China. There’s also an elegant one-of-a-kind elevator at a beach house in Australia and a custom lift for — ironically — a winery run by a world-famous rock star in Arizona. The winning projects are true standouts, but so are those that fell (sometimes very marginally) short. Throughout the rest of the year, we look forward to revisiting those projects that didn’t place. In the meantime, please enjoy reading about this year’s winners. Bon voyage!

• One Za’abeel submitted by Otis Elevator Co.
• Prudential Tower submitted by Schindler Elevator Corp.
• Grand Cruise Terminal at Doha Port submitted by TK Elevator
• Chongqing Metro Line 2 submitted by Otis Elevator (China) Co.
• Sky Bridge, Hong Kong International Airport submitted by TK Elevator — Hong Kong
• Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria submitted by Hill Hiker
• Paris Olympics Dive Platform Lift submitted by Edmolift UK Ltd.
• The Esplanade submitted by Next Level Elevators 
• Big Ben submitted by Stannah