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KONE Elevator Technology

Lift Product from Finland – Future for Tall Buildings, High-Rise Construction Design

10 Jun 2013

New technology unveiled that could double the height of skyscrapers

KONE Elevator Technology News

June 10th – Today, Finnish elevator manufacturer KONE will unveil a new technology that will enable future elevator journeys twice the distance currently feasible (currently approx 500 meters).

images from KONE

This in turn could lead to the next leap forward in the height that high rise buildings can go up to.

Each time the engineers create the potential to build man-made structures ever higher, it is always technology that makes the breakthrough.

For nearly 4,000 years the Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man-made structure at 140 metres. New developments in stone masonry in the middle ages meant Christian cathedrals in Europe were the tallest buildings for centuries.

image from KONE

However, it was the invention of internal steel structures in the 19th Century to help bear the weight of the building that led to the US skyscraper race to build the world’s tallest buildings. The last decade has seen another surge in the construction in new buildings thanks to new technologies.

The 163 floor Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai is currently the world’s tallest building at 830m but plans to build a taller building in Saudi Arabia are well under way.

The number of tall buildings built around the globe has increased rapidly in recent years. While there are currently three buildings in the world that top the 500-meter mark, proposals are in for 11 more such buildings to be constructed.

The new elevator technology developed by KONE, which remains highly secret until this announcement, opens up a world of possibilities in high-rise building design – an important consideration as urbanisation draws increasing numbers of people to cities.

images from KONE

It has been developed and tested rigorously both in real elevators and simulation laboratories at KONE’s research and development facilities in Finland. Since 2010, it has been tested in operation at the world’s tallest elevator testing laboratory, KONE’s Tytyri facility built 350 meters underground adjacent to an active limestone mine. Properties like tensile strength, bending lifetime, and material aging are just some of the qualities that have been measured.

Urbanization is a key driver for the development of cities and the elevator industry. More than half of the world’s population already live in urban areas, and the United Nations estimates that by 2050 seven out of every 10 people on the planet will be living in cities. Building upwards is seen as the sustainable urban solution.

KONE has been committed to understanding the needs of its customers for the past century, providing industry-leading elevators, escalators and automatic building doors as well as innovative solutions for modernisation and maintenance. The company’s objective is to offer the best People Flow (TM) experience by developing and delivering solutions that enable people to move smoothly, safely, comfortably and without waiting in buildings in an increasingly urbanising environment.

KONE Elevator Technology information received 100613

World Skyscrapers

picture from architect