One of the wonders of any modern urban city are tall skyscrapers which tower over the older buildings. From an economic perspective, the ability to house more companies and people in the space above a given footprint, feeds growth for both the landlord and city. If ThyssenKrupp has its way, we’ll soon be able to have even taller skyscrapers at better economics!
ThyssenKrupp builds elevators. They are now building a test tower for its elevators in Rottweil, German, with testing scheduled to really start in 20916. The goal: launch a new type of elevator – the sideways elevator – which uses the magnetic levitation technology currently used by train transportation systems between some cities (e.g., Bejing and Shanghai) and by many airports worldwide. Why? Because replacing steel ropes with magnetic levitation will create elevators that can move up, down and sideways, cut the amount of shaft space current elevators use, and move people much more quickly. Powerful magnets built into the elevator shafts and cars exert magnetic fields that suspend the cars and propel them from floor to floor using attractive and repulsive forces. The potential implication of these Multi elevators is the ability to achieve mile-high buildings. As Julian Olley, director for vertical transportation at engineering firm Arup notes, “there is absolutely no limit to how far you could go.”
This innovative application of the technology provides a ”Better Way” to build and operate buildings. What other interesting applications have you recently heard about? Share with us.