It’s A New World

The job market is recovering from the pandemic, but cities are just not the same. Many people are not going back to the office full time. Hybrid working schedules mean less floor space needed for offices and continuing commercial vacancies bear this out – still 50% or more in many major cities worldwide. Empty or unfinished buildings are ripe for conversions. Maybe we need to be thinking ahead in the design phase. Schindler’s Florien Troesch recently spoke to attendees at the 2022 CTBUH International Conference in Chicago on the theme of “Tall Excellence: Seeking the Ideal in Vertical Urbanisim.” “What is clear,” he said, “is that today’s ideal may not be tomorrow’s. An ideal building should be designed for flexibility of features and function . . . and for that a different approach to elevator design is critical.”

CTBUH is only one of many events covered in this issue. All of them recognize the changes that are coming, and they offer many different answers.

Brave New World by Kaija Wilkinson. Vertical-transportation (VT) experts gathered in Barcelona to explore the “Future of Vertical Transportation in 2030” at the International Elevator & Escalator Symposium. Just a few of the subjects covered are supertalls, mixed-use towers, IoT, VT in space, solar power, high-density living and next-gen dispatching.

International Sourcing Exposition for Elevators & Escalators Debuts by Vijay Pandya and Sheetal S. Patil. A new event in Mumbai drew 14,000 visitors and more than 150 exhibitors.

E2 Forum Successfully Restarted, Part 2 by Undine Stricker-Berghoff. Presentations of the second day concerned sustainability, IoT, data platforms and predictive maintenance.

We cover two other regional events: SEELift Zagreb Meeting, the Croatian capital hosted the South-East Europe Lift Network Conference; and FEEDA’s V Conference discussed Universal Accessibility in Madrid.

This month, we celebrate the winners of the annual Project of the Year awards. There are nine categories, and our winners come from Europe, Australia, China, North America and Africa. The winners showcased their ingenuity and challenges overcome.

Elevators, New Construction, 22 Bishopsgate. Otis provides a custom, complex VT system to a people-first workplace in the heart of London.

Elevators, Modernization, Quay Quarter Tower. Schindler Lifts Australia has a challenging modernization in a world-first upcycling project where 60% of the existing building was retained for expansion in Sydney, Australia.

Escalators, New Construction. East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension. Otis displays creativity and determination to bring a challenging project to fruition in Hong Kong SAR.

Escalators, Modernization, First National Center. KONE’s modernization breathes new life into a 90-year-old building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Moving Walks, Port of Algeciras. TK Elevators supplies and installs two moving walks in the lateral boarding tunnel of the ship terminal in Algeciras, Spain.

Inclined Elevators, Following Nature’s Path. Minnesota-based Hill Hiker, Inc. conceives and realizes an innovative lift system from home to shore in Panora, Iowa.

Platform Lifts & Stairway Chairlifts, U.S. Senate Handicap Accessibility Lifts. Gillespie Corp., fine tunes an innovative system serving top lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

Private-Residence Elevators, North Rosedale. UT Elevator NA Inc. provides accessibility and a scenic view while maintaining the area’s heritage in Toronto.

Special-Purpose Lifts, Dr. Pixley Ka-Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital Rooftop Lift. Doppler presents its rooftop elevator custom-designed for patient safety in harsh elements in KwaMashu, South Africa.

There are several interesting interviews this month: One with Andy Bierer, Otis market group lead UK & Nordics and MD UK. Another with Eberhard Volger, chief engineer Codes & Standards for TKE’s Innovations and Operations division based in Germany. Finally, Undine Stricker-Berghoff talks with Martin Schmitt from VDMA.

We are all tiptoeing into a new era where we need to consider how buildings will change, and how they will need to become more sustainable and more flexible to serve those living and working in them. Clearly, the VT industry has a strong role to play in the future of buildings.