MP to Supply Nato Headquarters

Belgium

In November 2011, Spanish company MP Ascensores received a contract to supply the new NATO headquarters in Brussels with vertical-transportation solutions. MP will supply the building with 56 units, including A-rated, energy-efficient elevators, a complex remote-control system, destination selection control and cars with panoramic ceilings. Designed by architectural firms Skidmore Owings & Merrill and ASSAR, the project covers 250,000 m². Work is scheduled to begin this year, with project completion planned for 2015.

Canada

Thyssenkrupp Elevator Acquires SES

ThyssenKrupp Elevator announced in December 2011 that it acquired the business operations of Sterling Elevator Services Corp. (SES). Headquartered in Edmonton, SES is a full-service elevator company providing new installation, maintenance, repair and modernization in the province of Alberta. SES has served building owners, management companies, architects and general contractors since 1992.

Achieving growth has been an aim of ThyssenKrupp AG since it decided on its “integrated strategic development program” in May 2011. In this context, the acquisition expands the company’s technology business. Dr. Olaf Berlien, executive board chairman of ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG, said the acquisition “further strengthens our position in North America. The solid presence of SES in the Canadian market is a true asset for our growth strategy in the region.” The acquisition marked the third in North America by ThyssenKrupp Elevator in as many months.

China

Lishui Wandi Plaza to be Equipped by Kone

KONE received a contract in the fourth quarter of 2011 to supply several of its PeopleFlow™ solutions for the eight-building Lishui Wandi Plaza in Zhejiang Province, which will feature a shopping center, five-star hotel and office building. The order includes 62 elevators and 94 escalators and moving walks. Of the elevators, 23 will feature KONE’s MonoSpace® machine-room-less technology. Of the escalators, 82 are KONE TravelMaster™ 110 units, which are designed for demanding commercial environments. In addition, four TransitMaster™ 140 escalators with a vertical rise of nearly 17 m will transport passengers from the lobby to the fourth floor of the shopping mall. According to KONE, the project is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

Germany

13TH International Can Conference

The 13th international Controller Area Network (CAN) Conference will take place on March 5 and 6 at Hambach Castle in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Papers by and for the CAN community will be presented, and a tabletop exhibition will be held. On day one, the CAN in Automation GmbH (CiA) international users’ and manufacturers’ group will also celebrate its 20th anniversary with an evening reception. Event sponsors include ESD, Ixxat Automation, Janz Tec, Telemotive and Vector Informatik. For more information or to register, contact CiA at website: www.can-cia.org.

Guyana

Cheddi Jagan Airport Expansion

The Guyanan government has announced a US$138-million contract with China Harbor Engineering Co. for the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in  Timehri. The project is to include the construction of a new terminal, along with the addition of elevators and escalators. Other improvements include a runway extension, the acquisition of eight boarding bridges and the installation of 3D X-ray scanners and security monitoring systems. When completed, the expansion would ensure the airport is able to meet projected future travel needs, becoming a hub for regional and continental traffic.

India

Shree Vile Institute Building

The Shree Vile Parle Kelvani Mandal’s Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies at Vile Parle (W), Mumbai, is constructing a new campus building with 11 floors intended to house new facilities for thousands of students. It is designed by architects Talati and Panthaky Associated, and vertical-transportation consulting services are provided by Soberman Engineering Co. of Mumbai. Its atrium will have eight panoramic lifts to operate in zones for traffic management and six passenger lifts to serve the basement parking floors. Other amenities include a 750-person-capacity auditorium served by two escalators. Otis (India) will supply these and a total of 14 machine-room-less elevators with a capacity of 1600 kg and speed of 1.75 mps. Completion is expected for the first quarter of 2013.

Gannavaram Airport Cracks Down on Buildings

The Airport Authority of India has stated that buildings near the Gannavaram Airport, which falls under an air-funnel zone, should get clearance from the authority prior to erection. Construction activity has recently increased in Gannavaram and its surrounding areas, and with rapid growth on the horizon, the restrictions on construction activity in the zone have become an important issue. C. Pattabhi, director of Gannavaram airport, said that any high-rise building in the vicinity taller than 18 m will be regulated. Up to 150 m within the flight path, buildings cannot be taller than 3 m, and up to 450 m in the path, no more than a 9-m height will be allowed. Pattabhi said that the airport is now spread across 536 acres, and another 465 acres has been requested. The existing runway is 7,500 ft. long, and an extension to 9,500 m for airbus planes is in the works.

New Zealand

TL Jones Launches Commander Studio

At Interlift 2011 in Augsburg, Germany, TL Jones officially launched its Commander™ Studio, an online simulation tool for customers to view their Commander T2 Touch car-operating panel screen designs. The studio allows users to work with their theme live and approve it before it is loaded onto their T2 units. “The best thing about Studio,” says Chris Woodman, general manager of TL Jones, “is the customers can see their designs before they receive their operating panels.”

The online tool also allows users to hear their T2 working as if in an actual elevator, from anywhere in the world. In addition, if necessary, users can e-mail changes. A library of customers’ design can also be easily referenced.

Pakistan

New Plans Include Sustainability Initiatives

The Planning Commission of Pakistan is developing strategies to improve the country’s sustainability and adapt to its rapidly growing cities. According to The Express Tribune, research shows that high-rise buildings are more energy efficient and economically feasible, as they utilize land more effectively. As a result of this information, the new plans include an increase in high-rise residential complexes. In addition, city residents will be encouraged to rely on walking and public transportation to lower the carbon emissions vehicles emit and reduce traffic congestion. An integrated transportation network within cities is also among the recommendations.

Turkey

New Tower Planned for Istanbul

Developers Varyap and GAP Insaat are planning the construction of a new high-rise building in Istanbul. Although the tower name and height plans were not final as of November 2011, the design allows for a building up to 400 m tall. To be located on the Asian half of Istanbul in the Atasehir district, plans for the tower include offices, apartments, a hotel, a sky lobby and a public shopping area. In addition, Australian-based reengineering firm Hyder Consulting is advising the developers to design the tower with earthquake resistant features, as the city is located on a seismic fault.

U.A.E.

Toshiba Elevator Announces New Company, Projects

The president and CEO of Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp. (TELC), Shinichiro Akiba, announced in November 2011 that TELC established a new company, Toshiba Elevator Middle East (L.L.C.). It will be represented by ELEVATOR WORLD Correspondent M.J. Mohamed Iqbal and located in Dubai, where TELC’s U.A.E. business was previously operated by Dhaher Al Muhairi Co. (L.L.C.) (DMCO). DMCO has been TELC’s distributor since 1999 for elevator sales, installation and maintenance, and has completed several major high-rise projects. DMCO has started securing projects in Oman and Saudi Arabia and is finishing projects in Qatar and neighboring countries.

One of the more recent major projects is Marina Square, located on Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi. The project includes 10 high-rise and three mid-rise residential towers, shopping malls, office towers and commercial blocks. The first phase of the project is being developed by Tamouh Investment. Marina Square is being equipped with 64 high-speed elevators with a maximum speed of 240 mpm, serving up to 57 stops. In addition, TELC installed 23 machine-room-less elevators, eight mid-speed overhead traction elevators, two escalators and two moving walks. Overall, the project will include 127 elevator and escalator units. As of December 2011, the residential and commercial portions of the project were complete and handed over to the client. The shopping and hotel projects are still under construction.

U.K.

The Leadenhall Building Supplied by Kone

The Leadenhall Building, a 47-story commercial building in London, has awarded KONE a contract to supply its PeopleFlow™ solutions. The order includes 29 elevators and five escalators. The main elevator solution will include KONE’s MiniSpace®. KONE will also supply a group of 22 scenic glass elevators to assist with the building’s traffic demands. The elevators will be equipped with Polaris® destination-control system to increase handling capacity and reduce waiting times, and E-Link™ monitoring system. The lower levels will receive TransitMaster™ 120 escalators.

KONE originally received the order in 2007, but the project was delayed due to the economy. It was revived in late 2010 and is being jointly developed by British Land and Oxford Properties. Laing O’Rourke has been appointed construction partner and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners will serve as the architect.

The Shard To Use Elevators In Emergencies

London’s Shard London Bridge is on schedule to be complete in May. The 1,017-ft.-tall skyscraper is set to be the tallest building in the European Union when finished. It has been the tallest building in London since its 804-ft., 72-story concrete core was completed last year (ELEVATOR WORLD, March 2011). This structure is to house its elevators. A double-deck elevator system to the office levels will see the bulk of traffic.

The Shard’s elevators are to be used as a primary means of escape in emergency situations. Instead of calling for eight sets of stairs, designers demonstrated enough escape capacity to reduce that number to three. The high-capacity evacuation elevators supplement the stairs, particularly from the restaurant and high-level viewing gallery, where there could be more people than the number for which the stairs could accommodate. According to Ars Technica, this is the first building in the U.K. to use elevators for evacuation.

Worldwide

EHC Global Announces Product, Green Measures

EHC Global announced a new product and environmentally friendly measures in December 2011. The PYROGuard™ line of polyurethane fire-resistant rollers passed the requirements of “EN 81-58 Lift Landing Doors: Fire Resistance Test.” This achievement involved developing a polymer compound that combined fire-resistant properties with the physical properties known to be critical for elevator-door hanger roller performance. The technology consists of a proprietary flame-retardant formulation developed by EHC in response to the growing customer demand for rollers conforming to this standard.

The firm also stated it now has the ability to recycle more than 90% of its escalator handrail material. Driven by ongoing efforts with the ISO14001 environmental management system and using custom-designed equipment, the company is recovering and reprocessing high-grade thermoplastic urethane. This recycling of previously discarded process scrap reduces energy and material consumption throughout its global supply chain. It is an automated process that takes place within a controlled environment designed to prevent contamination, which leads to a recognized decrease in the amount of pollutants released.