Future Focused

Our first quarter 2022 issue highlights the most interesting and challenging projects completed in the past year as part of ELEVATOR WORLD’s 24th Annual Project of the Year. Entries came to us from all over the world — the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In a very close competition, winners overcame challenges and achieved milestones. It is wonderful when companies in our industry can celebrate their accomplishments. We are very excited to publish their stories here.

We also highlight events held around the world in the last quarter of 2021. Industry Meets for “Lift Experts’ Day” covers the Hannover, Germany, gathering organized by AFAG Messen and VFA interlift. Making It Golden celebrates ANACAM’s 50th anniversary with a magnificent assembly in Milan. In 12th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technologies, Nick Mellor reports on the second virtual version of this annual event.

This issue our focus topic is New and Emerging Technology. As we move into the future, the Internet of Things (IoT) will collect data, analyze it and do such things as make sure the elevator is waiting for you when you enter your office building in the morning. Buildings will become greener, and the systems that go into them will also be more energy efficient. They will collect energy in the off hours and put it back in the building system. Due to climate change, they may also have to be stronger and more protective of their occupants. At the same time, buildings and elevators will need to be flexible as the occupants move or change their work routines. We feature two in-depth articles on the ways of the future.

• Residential Meets Technology by Undine Stricker-Berghoff. “Future Living in Berlin” in Germany is a residential site that is fully accessible and multi-generational. All the buildings are smart and have Schindler’s PORT destination-dispatch system in elevators.
• The Smart Readiness Indicator and Lifts by Alper Caliskan. The author notes that, in the future, smart buildings, like the Edge in Amsterdam, will analyze employees’ schedules and maximize efficiency and safety of a building. Buildings will be assessed for their “smart readiness indicator” (SRI).

There is so much more in this issue, and we hope you enjoy it. We are eager for you to communicate with us on what is happening in your company and with your projects. We wish all of you health and safety in 2022.