KONECorporation, press release, June 10, 2013
KONE, an innovative leader in the lift and escalator industry, today announced a new high-rise lift technology that is set to break industry limits and enable future lift travel heights of 1 kilometre - twice the distance currently feasible. The KONE UltraRope(TM) is a completely new hoisting technology that eliminates the disadvantages of conventional steel rope and opens up a world of possibilities in high-rise building design - an important consideration as urbanisation brings increasing numbers of people to cities.
Comprised of a carbon fibre core and a unique high-friction coating, KONE UltraRope is extremely light, meaning lift energy consumption in high-rise buildings can be cut significantly. The drop in rope weight means a dramatic reduction in elevator moving masses - the weight of everything that moves when a lift travels up or down, including the hoisting ropes, compensating ropes, counterweight, lift car, and passenger load (see image). Due to the significant impact of ropes on the overall weight of elevator moving masses, the benefits of KONE UltraRope increase exponentially as travel distance grows.
| KONE UltraRope is extremely strong and highly resistant to wear and abrasion. Elevator downtime caused by building sway is also reduced as carbon fibre resonates at a completely different frequency to steel and most other building materials. KONE UltraRope has an exceptionally long lifetime - at least twice that of conventional steel rope - and thanks to the special coating, no lubrication is required in maintaining it, enabling further cuts in environmental impact. | |
| All of this adds up to unprecedented eco-efficiency, durability and reliability in future high-rise lift travel. | |
| "We are proud to introduce this innovation that we are certain will revolutionise the lift industry for the tallest segment of buildings across the globe. The benefits of KONE UltraRope versus conventional lift hoisting technologies are numerous and indisputable," said KONE President and CEO Matti Alahuhta. | |
| KONE UltraRope has been developed and tested rigorously both in real lifts 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 lift testing laboratory, KONE's Tytyri facility built over 300 metres 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. |
Urbanisation is a key driver for the development of cities and the lift 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, and the number of tall buildings built around the globe has increased rapidly in recent years. Increasingly, tall buildings are also growing taller. Nearly 600 buildings of 200 meters or more are currently under construction or planned to be built over the next few years, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. While there are currently three buildings in the world that top the 500-metre mark, there are plans for 20 more such buildings to be built in coming years. Additionally, there are currently some 3,000 buildings in the world that could benefit from modernisation with KONE UltraRope.
For further information, please contact:
Anne Korkiakoski, EVP, Marketing & Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 204 75 4775.
KONE's previously published press releases are available at www.kone.com/press
Visit the KONE UltraRope(TM) site at www.kone.com/ultrarope
For images, background materials and footage please visit: http://bit.ly/11c99bE
Images are also available in KONE's online image bank.
Endorsement for KONE UltraRope:
Antony Wood, Architect and Executive Director, Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH):
"This is finally a breakthrough on one of the 'holy grail' limiting factors of tall buildings - that is, the height to which a single elevator could operate before the weight of the steel rope becomes unsupportable over that height (approximately 500 meters). So it is not an exaggeration to say that this is revolutionary. However, it is not just the enablement of greater height that is beneficial - the greater energy and material efficiencies that are of equal value."
Tom Dyckhoff, Architecture critic and broadcaster:
"Architecture is both a science and an art. It's always made the biggest leaps when advances in either propel the other forward. This leap in technology lays down the gauntlet to which the art of architecture must now respond. I can't wait!"