Record-breaking construction plans across the continent

UltraRope, JumpLift Technology in Nordic Region’s Tallest

KONE UltraRope® and JumpLiftTM technology will be implemented at Karlatornet in Gothenburg, Sweden. At 245 m tall, the residential/hotel development designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) will be the tallest in the Nordic region. KONE is supplying five MiniSpaceTM elevators equipped with UltraRope, which reduces energy consumption and improves ride comfort, along with nine MonoSpace® elevators. The units will travel at 6-8 mps. Using the same shafts as the passenger elevators prior to installation, JumpLift can save construction time and enhance jobsite safety. Karlatornet’s elevator system will also be equipped with destination-control technology. Slated for completion in 2021, Karlatornet is being developed by Karlastaden Utveckling AB. The main contractor is Serneke Bygg AB.

Transformative Four-Tower Project for Heart of Frankfurt

Developer Groß & Partner unanimously chose UNStudio’s FOUR Frankfurt plan for a mixed-use development in the heart of Frankfurt, Germany, consisting of four 228-m-tall (roughly 69-story) towers, World Architecture News reported. Working with HPP Architects, UNStudio aims to establish a “lively new neighborhood” that links the city’s shopping and high-rise office districts. Purchased by Groß & Partner in 2015, the 16,000-m2 site has been inaccessible for the past 45 years. FOUR Frankfurt includes a multilevel base and incorporates the heritage façades of nearby structures. UNStudio established a new headquarters in Frankfurt to handle the project.

Plan for Hamburg’s Tallest Tower

Plans for a 230-m-tall office building, to be the tallest in Hamburg, Germany, were unveiled in February, The Architects’ Journal reported. The “Elbtower” design won a competition with a proposal for a tower that rises in steps at its base and tapers at the top. David Chipperfield Architects said its design was defined by the roles for the building: “as a counterpoint to the Elbphilharmonie and an entrance marker on the eastern edge of the Hafencity.” Its ground-floor podium upon a triangular plot at the confluence of the Elbe River and Oberhafen canal links to the train and metro station to the east and a bicycle bridge to the north. Developer Signa Prime Selection intends to begin construction in 2021, with completion expected in 2025.

Award-Winning Design Inspired by Moscow’s History

Architecture firm MVRDV has won the competition for Silhouette, a 78-m-tall mixed-use building that will serve as a symbolic gateway into Moscow, various news outlets, including ConstructionWeekOnline.com, reported. The design team drew inspiration from Silhouette’s historic Constructivist-style neighbors, such as the Ministry of Agriculture building by Alexey Schusevand. Containing luxury apartments, a supermarket, a flexible workspace, a sports center, event space and underground parking within 52,000 m2 in the city center, Silhouette boasts a stepped, red ceramic façade. It is being developed by GK Osnova.