Lift Report

Gongxin Shen, Albert So and H. L. Bai

The construction of super-high-rise intelligent buildings is not just the trend, but the fashion, of the modern construction industry. The most distinctive building system serving such a building is the lift system. A few years ago, the world’s speed record was 750 mpm and now the most updated one is 1,010 mpm. We can see a gradual increase in the near future. However, there are problems hindering the design and construction of super-high-speed lifts, and they are mainly mechanically based. In this article, the development history of super-high-speed lifts is discussed, followed by the research work conducted by your authors during recent years.

China World Elevator Expo – April 15 to 18, 2004 in Shanghai

While the construction industry in Germany is stuck in the doldrums, entire cities are being raised from scratch in China. For some years now China's booming metropolitan areas have tempted construction companies with gigantic contracts. Shanghai above all sparks visitors' enthusiasm with its breathtaking pace. There skyscrapers are rising skyward at record speed. This mega-city with its 17 million residents is taking bold steps in striving to attain modernity, regardless of the costs.

ELEVCON 2004

“For the first time ever, the Elevcon is gathering in a palace!” That was the essence of enthusiastic greetings extended by Joseph Stier in the “Ciragan Sarayi”, a former sultan’s palace converted into a hotel and located hard by the Bosporus. The International Association of Elevator Engineers (IAEE) had extended an invitation to Istanbul for the period from April 27 to 29. This was the 14th World Conference on “Vertical Transportation Technologies.” About 160 professionals from all around the world responded to the call. They were rewarded with an event which was excellently organized in terms of the number, presentation and quality of both the lectures and the events that flanked the speeches.

Elevator Measuring Technology

With a 2-day symposium held in Schwelm, the DLI Deutsche Liftinstitut Rosswein and Messrs. Henning GmbH continued their series of information meetings on the subject of “Elevator Measuring Technology” started in 2003. The topic this time was the safety and cost reduction achievable by applying modern measuring technology in the installation of new lift systems, the modernization of existing systems and the operation of lifts.