Middle East Marvels

On a recent trip to Dubai, U.A.E., for The Elevator Show Dubai’s inaugural exposition, your author had the opportunity to visit the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building with a total height of 829.8 m, and the Dubai Frame, an observatory, museum and monument that stands as the largest picture frame in the world. ELEVATOR WORLD has written about both architectural marvels since their inceptions, and it was a true wonder and delight to visit them and, ultimately, ascend them, as elevator people want to do whenever possible. 

Otis installed the Burj Khalifa’s original 57 elevators and eight escalators in 2010 and was recently selected by Emaar Properties to modernize 34 of the elevators and all the escalators. To transport passengers to the top, two double-deck elevators travel at speeds of up to 10 m/s, taking passengers from the ground floor to the lower observation decks on the 124th and 125th floors in just 60 s. Your author went a little higher, though, on a VIP ticket and enjoyed a very smooth elevator ride that lasted about 75 s to the 148th floor (the highest visitors can ascend is to the 153rd floor), where the view was unforgettable. 

The Dubai Frame — the result of a 2009 architectural competition sponsored by TK Elevator (TKE) — features four TKE elevators that carry visitors up and down the 48-story, 141-m height at 3.5 m/s, making the trip in 75 s. The views of the old city on one side and the modern city on the other are something to behold.