A fascinating report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Year in Review – Tall Trends of 2023, details a record-breaking year. Completions of buildings more than 200 m or higher were up 14.2% over 2022. Of great interest were the changes in where in the world these buildings have proliferated and how the function of tall buildings has changed. The Middle East features prominently in this detailed report, which is a must read.
There are many other must reads in this issue and three of them come from our global correspondents who enlighten on vertical-transportation (VT) market trends in Africa, Russia and the Middle East. In A Tower of Success, Shem Oirere writes about how a Moroccan billionaire’s dream transforms Africa’s skyline. In More Questions Than Answers by Eugene Gerden, the difficult state of Russia’s elevator sector is explored in some depth. Dubai Dreams by EW’s Kaija Wilkinson and EW Middle East Correspondent M.J. Mohamed Iqbal is a must see, as well as a must read. Iqbal’s dynamic photographs of various Dubai landmarks are accompanied by updates on unique skyscrapers and other structures that are multiplying and driving business for and innovations in VT.
More trends are discussed in Championing Urbanization. EW’s Lindsay Fletcher interviews Florian Troesch, vice president of Schindler PORT technology at Schindler Group. Troesch notes that 2.5 billion people will move to cities by 2050. The company is conferring with architects to understand how VT needs to change. In Adaptable and Innovative, there is detailed description of Schindler MetaCore, a product for when buildings need to change or add functions.
In addition to our look at market trends, we have a full issue that includes a focus on Doors and Door Operators.
Improving All the Time by EW’s Angie C. Baldwin. An interview with former Wittur CEO Tom Stephenson who talks about Wittur Group’s growth and new products.
Door Operator Technology and the Progression to Linear Drive Systems by Andrew Godwin. The author takes us on a journey into the history of door operators.
More issue highlights include Elevating the VW “Bulli” by Undine Stricker-Berghoff, about how an extremely large elevator is worked into the production at the Volkswagen plant. Simply Spectacular by Wilkinson lays out how a TK Elevator team realizes a unique VT system serving the world’s longest airside skybridge at the Hong Kong International Airport. In Divider Beam Design as Part of the Standard Elevator Design, Dr. Michael Merz describes a new method for installing these as part of the elevator installation process and its benefits.
We hope you enjoy this packed issue. Let us hear from you!
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