ELEVATOR NEWS October 08 to 16, 2014 432 PARK AVE. TOPS OUT IN NYC What is now the Western Hemisphere’s tallest apartment tower at 1,379 ft., 432 Park Ave. in New York City (NYC) is now at its full height. In the first stage of what CRAIN’S called “a new and unprecedented wave of ultraluxury building in the city,” the “super thin” edifice’s height is second only to One World Trade Center. It is being developed by a partnership between local developer Harry Macklowe and Los-Angeles-based investor CIM Group. Work on it is being overseen by construction-management firm Lend Lease. LIFT SOLUTIONS TO DISTRIBUTE OLEO PRODUCTS Oleo International has partnered with Lift Solutions Inc. to more widely distribute its products throughout North America. Lift Solutions will provide sales and technical support for the U.K. company in the U.S. and Canada. Features of Oleo’s products include minimized overall buffer height and stroke, small and lightweight construction, global quality certification, and suitability for speed ranges of 1-20 mps. Additionally, Oleo plans to launch its new ecommerce facility, which will allow customers to order Oleo-manufactured buffer equipment online. When ordered, the products will be made available from Oleo’s Atlanta distribution facility within a week. TWENTY-NINE INJURED IN HONG KONG LIFT MISHAP Twenty-nine elevator passengers were injured, two suffering broken bones, on October 9 when the elevator in which they were riding at Kwun Tong factory in Hong Kong fell from the 12th to the ground floor, The Standard reports. The elevator’s capacity was 21 people, or approximately 1600 kg, and investigators believe overloading was a factor. Chinese authorities are looking further into the incident, which sparked public concern due to lift accidents becoming more frequent in recent years in rapidly growing China. October 15, 2014 DOE REGULATION ON BUILDING ENERGY According to The Hill, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released a rule dictating which private-sector green building certifications, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®), can be used by federal agencies to meet existing government standards for efficiency. The DOE describes the allowed certifications as “a system that verifies enhanced energy and water efficiency.” While they do not replace the government’s green building standards, they offer an alternative for it, which the DOE intends to “lead to reduced consumption through active energy and water management.” Both LEED Silver and its competitor, the Green Globes program, are among the systems now allowed for certain circumstances. ZIEHL-ABEGG LAUDED FOR RECRUITING Ziehl-Abegg’s “International Campaign to Recruit Specialists on the Countryside” was among the 100 winners of this year’s “Selected Landmarks in the Land of Ideas” German innovation competition. The project is intended to provide an answer to the question of how a company can advertise for foreign specialists by having a welcoming culture and attractive remote areas. Ziehl-Abegg is located in the fairly remote area of Künzelsau in south-central Germany. It combined the recruitment of international specialists with an intensification of professional development and training to meet skills shortages it experienced. ELEVATOR-SAFETY FINE MULLED BY MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS Massachusetts lawmakers are mulling a law that went into effect on July 1, 2013, after an apartment developer was fined US$17,900 for failing to renew a lapsed safety-inspection permit, The Sun Chronicle reports. Designed to provide incentive to keep elevators safe, the new law states there is a US$100 per day fine for such violations. State officials contend the developer waited nearly a year after the property’s elevator permit had expired on December 31, 2012, before he applied for a new one, and that in May 2013, the unit failed a smoke test and had an out-of-service phone. Although the phone was fixed, other work remained. The property owner said he was unaware of the fine, which could be reduced in light of political pressure. Previously, the fine was a flat US$200. October 14, 2014 SERAPID EQUIPMENT ON DISPLAY AT LDI EXPOSITION Serapid, Inc., plans to display and demonstrate its LinkLiftTM stage-lift system and Dual Telescopic Mast – a portable lighting, sound and video platform – during the LDI Exhibition on November 17-23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Based in Sterling Heights, Michigan, Serapid is a producer of stage-lift systems used in theaters and show venues – including cruise ships – around the world. ELEVATORS PART OF MACEDONIAN STATION UPGRADE A pair of passenger elevators and a handicapped-accessible elevator are among US$3.7 million in upgrades planned for the 33-year-old main railway station in Skopje, Macedonia, the Macedonian International News Agency reports. Improvements, which also include a new information-technology system, automatic doors and better parking, are being paid for through the European Union’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance program, and are hoped to “bring [the station] back to its old glory” by May 2015, according to a Macedonian Railways official. WMATA ESCALATOR-REPLACEMENT PROJECT MARCHES ON The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced on October 6 it has installed the 15th and 16th escalators of an estimated 130 (previously reported as 120) it is replacing by 2020 as part of its Metro Forward rebuilding program, Progressive Railroading reports. The authority is under contract with KONE, and the latest units were installed at the Besthesda, Maryland, station. October 13, 2014 LERCH BATES TO DESIGN SYSTEMS FOR NEW DENVER TOWER Lerch Bates Inc. has been hired to design the vertical-transportation systems for 1401 Lawrence, a new, 22-story office building in a historic part of Denver. One of more than 24 new projects underway in Denver, 1401 Lawrence will have nine elevator systems. Lerch Bates will provide schematic designs, design development, construction-document management and construction administration for client The Beck Group. CIBSE LIFTS GROUP ANNUAL SEMINAR ON NOVEMBER 26 The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Lifts Group Annual Seminar is planned on November 26 at CIBSE, 222 Balham High Road, London, SW12 9BS, U.K. It is set to include presentations by Dr. Gina Barney on the history of traffic control; David Cooper on hybrid control systems in office buildings; Len Halsey on lift modernization; Roger Howkins on the lost art of engineering; Adam Scott with an overview of British Council of Offices Guidelines 2014, Vertical Transportation; and Laura Smith on the implications of lift and equipment regulations in U.K. care homes. For further information, visit the CIBSE Lifts Group website. GLASS-PANED ELEVATORS PART OF NYC BUILDINGS’ RENOVATION Glass-paned elevators through which tenant-commissioned artwork can be viewed are among upscale upgrades to a trio of buildings in Midtown South in New York City (NYC), the Commercial Observer reports. The Kaufman Organization acquired four buildings earlier this year (one is already open), and is undertaking renovations at 19 West 24th Street, 13 West 27th Street and 45 West 27th Street ahead of a targeted June 2015 opening date. With improvements such as the innovative elevators, Kaufman hopes to attract high-end tenants in the tech, media and creative fields. MESA TO WELCOME CE ELECTRONICS TO OCTOBER MEETING Massachusetts Elevator Safety Association (MESA) plans to welcome speaker Mark Northstine of CE Electronics Inc. Acoustics Group to its October 14 meeting. Northstine will discuss CE’s products and how they work. The event is planned for 12:30 p.m. at Phillips Old Colony in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Directions may be found on the restaurant’s website. For more information about MESA, such as how to join or register for events, visit its website. October 10, 2014 SCHINDLER OFFERING US$150,000 IN URBAN DESIGN COMPETITION Schindler has announced its inaugural global urban design competition for final-year bachelor’s-degree students, master’s-degree students and their international equivalents in architecture, landscape architecture and urban design and planning. Chosen by a panel of experts, the winners will receive some of a US$150,000 prize fund. Entry is free, and will be based on Shenzhen, China, a quickly growing commercial and industrial hub near Hong Kong. Registration deadline is November 15, and entry deadline is January 31. Winners will be announced in early 2015. For complete details, or to register, visit the website. TURKEY: 63% OF INSPECTED ELEVATORS UNSAFE In October, the Daily Sabah reported that 63% of 152,000 elevators inspected in Turkey in 2013 received a “red label,” meaning they are unsafe, according to the Turkish Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology. That was up from an estimate of 40% given previously. The increased attention to safety comes after an elevator accident on September 6 in which 10 construction workers were killed. There are approximately 350,000 elevators operating in Turkey. ECNY “DECODING THE ELEVATOR CODE” SEMINAR The Elevator Conference of New York (ECNY) plans to host a “Decoding the Elevator Code” seminar presented by James Marinelli of Electrodyn Systems Ltd. on October 29 at 6:30 p.m. The seminar will be preceded by a buffet dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. The venue is Bruno’s on the Boulevard at 88th Street and Astoria Boulevard, Jackson Heights, New York, 11372, and the cost is US$25 for ECNY members and US$50 for nonmembers for payments received on or before October 23 and US$35 for ECNY members and US$60 for nonmembers for payments received after that. For additional information, contact Robert “Bobby Dee” DeFrancesco at (718) 706-8600 or visit the ECNY website. October 9, 2014 WORK ON 80-STORY 3WTC IN NYC COULD START SOON Construction on the 80-story, 3 World Trade Center (3WTC) in New York City (NYC) could start soon, thanks to state approval of the sale of up to US$1.8 billion in bonds for developer Larry Silverstein to proceed, Bloomberg reports. The project, on the 16-acre World Trade Center site, has been delayed for more than a year due to disagreement among Port Authority of New York & New Jersey board members over financing. The authority owns the site. 3WTC is scheduled for completion in 2018. ELEVATOR MAINTENANCE RULES TIGHTENED IN BULGARIA Bulgaria’s interim government has amended regulations governing the supervision and maintenance of elevators, FOCUS News Agency reports. The amendments stress enforcement of existing regulations involving conducting regular equipment inspections and having the appropriate number of inspectors for the number of units. According to Elevator World Inc. data, there are 84,000 existing installations in Bulgaria, including escalators. OVERPASS WITH ELEVATOR IN PHILIPPINES TO HELP DISABLED The Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways has installed an elevator at a pedestrian overpass at Diversion Road in Iloilo City, Philippines, Panay News reports. The unit is expected to be operational within a month. The elevator, which will include a canopy to protect pedestrians from the elements, promises to assist the elderly and persons with disabilities. The department also plans to install a police station at the overpass to help protect the elevator. October 8, 2014 COMFORT ELEVATORS LAUNCHED IN INDIA Comfort Elevators and Escalators Pvt. Ltd. recently inaugurated its corporate office and headquarters in Bangalore, India, at Shakthi Comfort Towers on K.H. Road. The new company has 12 employees and is backed by experienced technocrats and designers. Comfort intends to offer customized products and services, enabling comfortable mobility and aesthetic freedom to architects. Its management team is headed by Mohan Kumar B.T., who feels providing a single point of contact for every customer is an important early goal. IN MEMORIAM: MAX E. JOHNSON Max E. Johnson, of Hamilton, Montana, passed away on September 26 as the result of an ATV accident. He and his wife of 42 years, Debbie, were founders and owners of Access Ability Solutions Inc., a company that, since 2003, has provided chairlifts, platform lifts and home elevators, primarily to customers in Montana. A licensed elevator mechanic, Johnson is survived by wife, Debbie; mother, Willodean Johnson Southward; stepfather, Darel Southward and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. A service is planned for October 8 at Galilee Baptist Church in Stevensville, Montana. 346-FT.-TALL APARTMENT BUILDING FOR BROOKLYN, NY A 346-ft.-tall, 32-story tower containing 440 apartments and ground-level retail is planned as the final piece of a four-building puzzle aimed at revitalizing areas north and south of Fort Greene Park — a part of Brooklyn, New York (NY), that had fallen on hard times, NY YIMBY reports. Renderings of the building, 86 Fleet Place, show a reflective, glassy façade and soft corners, hearkening to Art Deco architecture. The building was designed by Goldstein, Hill & West and is being developed by Red Apple Group. ESCALATOR FALL FATAL FOR WOMAN IN ST. LOUIS A fall from an escalator at Scottrade Center in St. Louis was fatal for a 34-year-old woman attending a St. Louis Blues National Hockey League game on October 2, NESN reports. Witnesses said the woman fell while attempting to straddle and slide down an escalator rail after the game. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital. St. Louis police and arena officials are investigating. Thanks with: Elevatorworld/
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 03:48:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015