Image by KONE
Saudi Arabia is building a skyscraper so tall that even its elevators are redefining engineering limits. Rising over a kilometer above the Red Sea coast, the Jeddah Tower will soon claim the title of the world’s tallest building, and it will also host the world’s highest elevator ride, which is over 630 meters to the observation deck……Continue reading…
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Source: Luxurylaunches
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Kone is a Finnish multinational elevator engineering company employing over 60,000 personnel across 60 countries worldwide. It was founded in 1910 and is now headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, with its corporate offices located in Espoo. In addition, Kone builds and services moving walkways (referred to by the company as autowalks), automatic doors and gates, escalators, and lifts. In the Finnish language, Kone means “machine”.
In June 2013, the company launched a new high-rise elevator technology, called Kone UltraRope, which enables future elevator travel heights of up to one kilometer due to its low weight. The product is light due to its carbon-fiber tape core manufactured in pultrusion by French company Epsilon Compositeand a high-friction coating added by Austrian company Faigle Kunststoffe.
Because of these qualities, elevator energy consumption in high-rise buildings can be cut significantly. Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia (with a height of 1,000 meters) which is planned to open in 2028 will feature Kone UltraRope. The elevator in Jeddah Tower will be a height of 660 meters. One additional benefit of UltraRope is that it has a higher resonance frequency than steel cable.
This reduces the cable’s sway in tall buildings and can minimize damage from the cable to itself and the elevator shaft. The ‘Kone EcoDisc motor’, used for hoisting, reduces the amount of energy lost as heat and circulates air through the motor, reducing its temperature. The motor control system and brakes make the elevator ride quieter, and the design frees up space. It is typically installed as an MRL (Machine-Room-Less) motor that is placed at the top of an elevator shaft.
The fastest speed that Kone makes the EcoDisc (as an MRL motor) is 3.5 m/s. However, for a faster speed (e.g. 4 m/s), the machine needs to be installed in a machine room. The ‘Kone Access Turnstiles’, used for the fast and efficient movement for the flow of people. These are part of the ‘People Flow’ technology family by Kone. This system offers the option to utilise the ‘Kone Monitoring System’, which enables you to monitor and track the turnstiles and elevator systems.
Kone Destination allows for a fast and efficient ride from floor to floor in a building. The system uses a touch screen panel/terminal that shows the floor numbers, and when the floor is selected, it calls the nearest elevator to the floor you called and takes you to your floor with minimal to no stops at your door. The system also allows for the turnstiles to work together with the elevators, so when you swipe your access card on the turnstile, it calls the nearest elevator.
There is also an app for the elevator system that allows you to call and type in your destination from your mobile device, reducing wait time. This system offers the option to integrate the Kone Monitoring System, which enables you to monitor and track turnstiles and elevator systems. The Kone MonoSpace for low to mid-rise buildings is the world’s first machine-room-less elevator.
The Kone EcoSpace elevator is a machine-room-less traction elevator designed for low-rise buildings, ranging from 2 to 4 stories, as an energy-efficient alternative to hydraulic elevators. It can fit in an existing hydraulic elevator hoistway. Maximum speed is 150 feet per minute (0.76 m/s). The Kone MiniSpace elevator, featuring a compact machine room, is often used in high-rise buildings.
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