ITEEA: Elevator Technological Institute

Argentina

Argentina’s first technological institute dedicated to the learning and teaching of elevator technology, Instituto Tecnológico para el Estudio y Enseñanza del Ascensor (ITEEA), has been in operation since June 1, 2010. Its mission is to improve the knowledge and activity of companies, workers and professionals in the elevator industry to optimize quality and safety. It promotes research, teaching and learning of scientific advances related to vertical transportation.

ITEEA also runs a consultant service for elevator companies. An elevator mockup for testing progressive safeties, hydraulic buffers and rupture valves for hydraulic elevators is the result of a joint effort by CAFAC (Argentine Association of Elevator Component Manufacturers), ADIMRA (Argentine Association of Metallurgical Manfacturers) and several professionals. The mockup started operations in October 2011 at the National Institute of Industrial Technology’s (INTI) Buenos Aires premises. Testing laboratories for other safety devices, such as locks for manual and semiautomatic doors and speed governors have also been available on INTI premises since October 2012. That month, the institute also held an introductory training course. It has a long-term goal of developing a machine-room-less elevator completely manufactured by national companies.

The Institute is the result of a joint initiative by a group of independent entrepreneurs in the Argentine elevator industry. The country has approximately 1,500 companies directly or indirectly involved with the vertical-transportation industry that employ some 15,000 people. There are approximately 220,000 elevators in Argentina. Most of the equipment (some 140,000 units) are located in Buenos Aires, where around 500 companies are dedicated to elevator installation and maintenance. Reported by EW Correspondent Carmen Maldacena.

Asia

Luxury Developments

In March, London-based property firm yoo unveiled plans for several of its luxury developments at the Mipim real-estate event in Cannes, France. According to Black Stock Communications in the U.K., the firm is working on a ski chalet consisting of four loft-style apartments on the island of Hokkaido in Japan, and a residential development and hotel on the island of Boracay in the Philippines. In addition, yoo will develop yoo Residence, a 31-story residential tower in Hong Kong. In 2010, yoo launched iLiv@Grange, a 16-story residential development in central Singapore.

Canada

EHC Global Website Relaunch

EHC GLOBAL has announced the relaunch of its homepage (www.ehc-global.com), a website devoted to lift-industry products and services, in addition to offerings for other industrial applications. The revamped page features enhanced navigation, an online catalog with detailed search functionality and photos of products, an improved download area and a user-friendly transfer interface.

Montreal Hospital To Receive Kone Equipment

Construction Santé Montréal has awarded KONE a contract to install 77 elevators and escalators throughout the new Université de Montreal Hospital Center in Montreal. The contract also includes a long-term maintenance agreement. The equipment will include 45 energy-efficient EcoSystem MR™ elevators, 14 MonoSpace® machine-room-less elevators, 12 TravelMaster™ 110 escalators, four dumbwaiters and two hydraulic elevators.

Ten of the elevator controls will be equipped with control integration for automated guided vehicles for hospital deliveries during light-traffic hours. In addition, the elevators and escalators will be equipped with KONE’s E-Link monitoring system.

KONE will install 66 units during Phase 1 of the project, which is scheduled to begin at the end of 2013. The first phase includes the construction of the hospital, which is expected to open in April 2016. KONE will install 11 units during Phase 2, which will include the completion of an amphitheater, library and clinical-administrative spaces. This is expected to be completed in 2020.

Chile

Industrial Mining Lifts Now Offered

Stros is a Czech company that chose Chile as a business platform by which to penetrate the Latin American mining market’s for vertical transportation. The company manufacturers a rack-and–pinion lift system for permanent or special installations. The company has already installed lifts with capacities of 400-600 kg in Russia and Canada. Its reverse model BV 400/600 was developed for the mining sector. This system allows the lift to run to a depth of 100 m below ground, with a base station at ground level.

Another of Stros’ models that can be used in mines is a standard service elevator adapted to the industrial environment. The cabin is covered with stainless-steel materials or aluminum plates, and all other components are hot galvanized. Each elevator can be equipped with a frequency inverter, overload control, communication systems and emergency signaling. The system can also be prepared to operate in locations or environments where explosions occur. This model has load capacities of 400-3500 kg. Reported by EW Correspondent Carmen Maldacena.

China

Kone To Equip Chongqing, Haikou High Rises

KONE has received an order to install 94 elevators and 36 escalators in the Chongqing International Trade and Commerce Center in Chongqing. The center is comprised of a 105-story office and hotel tower, which will be equipped with the highest-traveling KONE elevator to date, and a 47-story office building, 39-story apartment tower and shopping-mall podium. KONE will provide seven DoubleDeck elevators, 64 MiniSpace™ elevators, 23 S MonoSpace® elevators, 36 TravelMaster® escalators and its E-Link™ remote-monitoring system. The center is expected to be completed in April 2017. The project is aiming to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification.

“We are very excited that this [high-rise] tower in Chongqing will house a KONE elevator that can transport people 98 stories in one continuous journey – the highest-traveling KONE elevator to date,” William B. Johnson, executive vice president for KONE Greater China, said.

KONE also received an order to install 31 elevators and four TravelMaster™ 110 escalators at the Hainan Tower in Haikou. The order includes 28 MiniSpace™ elevators with a capacity of 1600 kg and speed of 6 mps, and three MonoSpace® elevators. KONE will also supply its E-Link remote monitoring system.

The 200-m-tall commercial office building is expected to be completed by the end of this year and open to the public at the end of 2014. The project is contracted by Beijing Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd., and the architect is Zhongxu Planning & Architecture Design Co., Ltd. 

Canny Test Tower/Technology Building Underway

   On March 12, Canny Elevator began foundation work on its new test tower and technology building in Wujiang. Leaders and guests from the China Elevator Association, Wujiang District Committee, Fenhu High Technology Industry Development Zone, Wujiang and Suzhou Quality Inspection Bureau, Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, and the Design and Research Institute of Suzhou Industrial Park attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

 The main structure height of the test tower is to be 288 m, with 268 m above ground, making it one of the tallest elevator test towers in the world. Elevator speeds inside could reach 21 mps, and double-car testing is possible. There are nine shafts planned, one of which is to be a panoramic shaft. Their intended use is as follows:

• Two for testing 10-mps, 2000-kg elevators
• Two for testing 12-mps, 2000-kg elevators
• One for testing a 21-mps, 2000-kg elevator
• One for testing a large-capacity goods lift
• One for testing a 6-mps, 3600-kg double-car elevator
• One for testing a 5-mps, 1600-kg panoramic elevator; this elevator can reach the top panoramic floor directly.
• One for transporting large machinery parts directly to the top floor

The east side of the test tower will consist of an escalator testing area, and the south side will include a technology building. The latter will not only serve as a national-level enterprise technology center, but also the test frame of a tall escalator (up to 50 m).

Denmark

Kone To Supply Copenhagen Metro

KONE has received an order to supply 153 KONE TransitMaster® escalators, 42 MonoSpace® Special elevators and four TravelMaster® moving walks to the Copenhagen Metro extension, which will consist of 17 new underground stations. The metro extension will create Cityringen, a new city circle line consisting of 15.2 km of dual underground railway tunnel linking various parts of the city. The project is expected to be completed in 2018 and will expand the system’s annual passenger capacity from 50 million to 130 million.

India

Namaste Tower Designed For Efficiency

The 62-story Namaste Tower in Mumbai is currently under construction and expected to be energy efficient in various ways. Dubai-based architecture firm WS Atkins designed the tower, which resembles the traditional Indian namaste greeting where both hands are pressed together as a welcoming gesture. The tower will feature a hotel, several floors of office space, retail shops and a rooftop restaurant. In addition, a renewable energy system will be incorporated to help generate some of the building’s energy needs. The “skin” of the tower will include solar thermal collectors to generate 12% of the energy needed to heat the building’s water. Furthermore, the tower’s light-colored façade will be made of fritted glass, which will act as a sunscreen to reduce solar gain within the building.

EW Visits Virgo House

  Virgo Communications & Exhibitions Pvt Ltd. recently moved into its new office in Domlur, Bangalore. The three-story office is appropriately named “Virgo House” and positioned next to the Embassy Golf Park and other major corporations, including IBM and Microsoft. Virgo partners with Elevator World, Inc. to publish ELEVATOR WORLD India. In addition, the company organizes several exhibitions and other communication platforms throughout the country. While attending the International Elevator and Escalator Tech Forum, EW’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, T.Bruce MacKinnon, paid a visit to Virgo House, where he spent time with EW’s international partners.

Delhi Metro to Receive Kone Equipment

KONE has received an order to supply 143 MonoSpace® elevators to the Delhi Metro network extension. KONE previously supplied 395 elevators and 75 escalators in the first two phases of the expansion project. The current order includes 70 stainless-steel elevators with glass doors and 73 elevators with stainless-steel doors. The equipment will also include accessibility features, door photo sensors, fire-rated glass and fire-retardant, low- smoke cables.

Neeraj Sharma, managing director for KONE India, explained the company’s relationship with the metro:

“We have a longstanding relationship with the Delhi Metro Rail Corp., and we understand the passenger requirements in the public-transport sector. This has helped us provide the best possible solutions for the Delhi Metro, and we are delighted to continue our involvement in [the] third phase of the project.”

The Delhi Metro has operated since 2002 and plans to cover the entire metropolis area by 2021. Once completed, the network will be approximately 330 km long.

L&T Realty Receives Award For Crescent Bay

L&T Realty was awarded the Vasturaviraj Vishwakarma Real Estate Award for its residential project Crescent Bay at Parel in Mumbai. Crescent Bay features residential towers equipped with high-speed elevators. The 4-million-sq.-ft. project was developed by L&T Realty and Omkar Realtors & Developers. More than 1,400 entries were submitted for the award and L&T Realty won under the “Best Design and Internal Layout” category for projects larger than 50,000 sq. ft. in the Mumbai region.

Oman

Kone, Assarain Group Joint Venture

The Oman Daily Observer reported in February that KONE has entered into a joint venture with Oman’s Assarain Group to market, install and maintain its elevators. KONE has been operating in the country as a division of Assarain Enterprise LLC since the 1980s, having installed more than 1,000 units. This agreement aims to further strengthen KONE’s market presence in the sultanate and provide a strong sales and service network.

Both companies operate internationally, with Assarain Group taking part in construction, property development, leasing, national infrastructure projects, consumer products, food distribution, travel, insurance and healthcare. Currently, KONE is supplying 70 MonoSpace® and 52 TranSys™ elevators, 60 TravelMaster™ and 39 TransitMaster™ escalators, and moving walks for the Muscat International Airport (ELEVATOR WORLD, December 2011).

Worldwide

Thyssenkrupp Elevator Completes Green Modernizations

ThyssenKrupp Elevator has completed the modernization of two energy-saving projects. First, RWE AG’s headquarters in Essen, Germany, had four of its eight passenger elevators (built and installed in the 1980s) fitted with modern control and drive systems. A combination of gearless synchronized drives, frequency converters and energy-recovery systems aided an energy savings of 70%. The TÜV SÜD technical inspection agency has since awarded the elevators an A-class energy-efficiency rating to VDI Standard 4707 based on the testing of one of the units in normal operation. Prior to the modernization, the old installation was rated efficiency class D.

The modernization of two elevators in the 20-story Hyatt Place Hotel Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, also resulted in a significant increase in building efficiency. There, ThyssenKrupp Elevator updated geared elevators installed in 1974 to modern units with gearless drives, modern control systems with energy recuperation and efficient LED cab lighting. A before-and-after analysis shows energy consumption was reduced by 56%, and both drive performance and ride quality were significantly improved.