Tomorrow’s Ideal

As we step into this new year, 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 Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (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 one of many recent conferences to have recognized the changes coming and tried to provide answers. In Brave New World by Kaija Wilkinson, vertical-transportation (VT) experts gathered in Barcelona to explore the “Future of Vertical Transportation in 2030” at the 2022 International Elevator & Escalator Symposium (IEES). Topics covered included supertalls, mixed-use towers, Internet of Things, VT in space, solar power, high-density living and next-gen dispatching.

Two papers delivered at the IEES event are featured in this issue as part of our focus on New and Emerging Technology. Lifts in the New Millennium by Elena Mauro looks at some of the benefits and challenges of new technologies, with an emphasis on safety and risk control, and ends with a forecast. Polymer Matrix Composite Applications on the Elevators of the Future by Emre Köroğlu and Ali Kiliç explores innovative construction materials, a globally popular research area. 

At LIFTEX 2022, ELEVATOR WORLD UK had the opportunity to meet and talk with Andy Bierer, Otis Market Group lead, UK and Nordics, and managing director, UK. Since then, we’ve interviewed him in greater depth. In People, Performance and Purpose by Wilkinson, Bierer says he seizes opportunities as they come. Early in his career, one such opportunity was serving as chief of staff to Otis President and CEO Judy Marks.

We profile another U.K. industry leader in A Golden Anniversary by Lindsay Fletcher. Terry Lifts Chairman Peter Morrey celebrates 50 years at the top of the manufacturing business in Cheshire and talks to EW UK about the serendipitous way he entered the industry and the experiences and proud moments that have kept him in it. 

This issue, we celebrate the 25th Annual Project of the Year awards. There are nine categories in this global contest, and this year’s winners come from Europe, Australia, China, North America and Africa. All winning projects showcased ingenuity and challenges overcome, and we are proud to feature three of them in these pages, including the Elevators, New Construction category winner, 22 Bishopsgate. Otis provided a custom, complex VT system to this people-first workplace in the heart of London.

Lastly, we begin a new History column this issue. Authored by Dr. Lee Gray, EW’s longtime History correspondent, ELEVATOR WORLD in the U.K. takes us back to EW Founder William C. Sturgeon’s visit to the U.K. in 1964. It is a treasure trove of first-hand accounts full of so many well-known industry people and places.  

Looking ahead, 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. With new and emerging technology, the wisdom of the past and skilled VT experts, we move into the future.