Hitachi Elevator, KONE add more than 260 units in Shanghai, Chengdu.

Hitachi Elevator Providing 201 Units to Shanghai Metro

Hitachi Elevator (China) Co., Ltd. is providing 201 elevators and escalators to 14 stations along Shanghai Metro Line 15, which opened for trial operations in January. Starting at Gucun Park to the north and ending at Zizhu High-Tech Industrial Park to the south, the 42-km underground line is the longest (in kilometers) to open in the country all at once. Hitachi’s EX-BPG escalators, which the company states provides better braking than standard industry models, were used. This model is equipped with more than 30 safety devices. Hitachi has provided products and services to rail transit projects in 24 cities in China. It is also providing maintenance for Line 15 and “plans to deploy the latest technologies, including AI, cloud computing and the Internet of Things.”

KONE Providing 60 Units for Chengdu Magic Cube

KONE has won an order to provide 60 elevators and escalators to the Chengdu, Magic Cube, a more-than-1-million-m² mixed-use development with cultural amenities and office, hotel and residential space, the OEM announced in February. Developed by Chengdu Merchants Yuankang Real Estate Development Co. Ltd. with Chengdu Jizhun Fangzhong Architectural Design as main architect, Magic Cube is slated for completion by mid-2021. KONE will equip the office towers with 44 MiniSpace^TM and 10 MonoSpace^® elevators and six TransitMaster^TM 110 escalators. Forty of the elevators will be equipped with the KONE Destination Control System and the E-Link^TM equipment-monitoring system. The contract includes two years of standard maintenance.

TÜV SÜD Supports New Requirements for Singapore Manufacturers

Certification company TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH announced in January that it will support lift component manufacturers in Singapore, in light of the new lift standard SS 550:2020. The new standard requires that, to gain approval, components be examined in accordance with the EN 81-50 European standard by an accredited and listed company. Falling under SS 550:2020 are components such as landing-door locks, safety gears, overspeed governors and safety circuits like programmable electronic systems in safety-related applications for lifts (PESSRAL).

“By offering type examinations, we help manufacturers demonstrate that their products are in conformity with the new requirements,” said Jonas Conrady, TÜV SÜD department manager of new technologies in the lifts, cranes and conveyors business unit. TÜV SÜD observed it can draw on its experience in the testing of lifts in accordance with the Lifts Directive and EN 81 series of standards, particularly functional safety testing of lift components and PESSRAL systems in accordance with EN 81-20 and -50.

CTBUH Announces Best Tall Building Winners for 2021

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) announced the best Tall Building Award of Excellence Winners for 2021 in January. The winning projects were evaluated across five height thresholds and three functions — under 100 m, 100-199 m, 200-299 m, 300-399 m and 400 m and above, and office, mixed-use and residential. Additional winners in engineering, construction, interior design, urban habitat and more will be announced later. The winners now move to the next stage of the awards program, in which the owners/developers and design/engineering teams compete in the CTBUH 2021 Tall + Urban Conference for best-in-category recognition. Taking place online on May 18-20, the event will conclude with the announcement of the 2021 overall best tall building worldwide.

North America and China garnered the most recognitions, with 19 and 17, respectively. In the U.S., they included five towers in NYC, two in Chicago and one each in Miami, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The Middle East had five winners, including three in Tel Aviv. Tall towers in nine Australian cities won. In Europe, winners included three in London and one each in Montpellier, France, and Frankfurt, Germany. For a complete list, visit awards.ctbuh.org/winners.