Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/147234
Schindler's intuitive PORT Technology helps ensure trips are as efficient as possible. Photo courtesy Schindler Elevator Corporation. An Elevating Factor W Technology reaches new heights by Robin Brunet With the World Health Organization estimating that around 60 per cent of the world's population will live in urban areas within 40 years, building development could very well become even more vertically oriented than it is today. It's ironic then that the elevator can be one of the more irritating aspects of urban living. But whether it's Delta, Otis or any number of other major elevator manufacturers, research and development has kicked into high gear to end long waits and improve maintenance efficiency. Schindler Elevator Corporation recently unveiled the Personal Occupant Requirement Terminal (PORT), a major solution to cities that are experiencing vertical growth. PORT is an interface that is positioned at access points and elevators around the building. It can calculate the optimum route to any destination and "learns" how occupants typically move around. James Ellingson, national director of sales and marketing for Schindler in Canada, says PORT has the capability to learn where the elevator stops, when it stops, what floor it stops at and how often it stops, "So we can predict where people want to be and where they want to go throughout the day." This is made possible through radio frequency identification that is contained in the passenger passcard. Schindler estimates that PORT could shorten the time passengers spend waiting for elevators by as much as 30 per cent. As a result of having to make fewer stops, the technology is also expected to save energy costs by as much as 35 per cent. Schindler will be providing 29 PORT-controlled elevators for World on Yonge in Thornhill, a new mixed-use office/residential tower complex in Toronto. These elevators will also be 52/ august 2013 p52-53Elevators.indd 52 outfitted with Schindler's Power Factor 1 (PF1) energy-saving technology that uses magnet machines which require less starting and braking current. In addition, the regenerativedrive hardware recycles energy and recharges the system. ThyssenKrupp Elevator recently lived up to its reputation as the world's premier manufacturer, installer and service provider of vertical and horizontal transportation technology by unveiling TWIN, the first elevator system with two independent cars in one shaft. It has the same conveyance capacity but offers 25 per cent space savings. Both TWIN cabins travel above one another on the same guide rails and each are equipped with its own elevator drive pulley. A central component of this system is the intelligent ThyssenKrupp controller Destination Selection Control (DSC), whereby passengers simply press the desired floor on a lobby display and DSC selects the most appropriate elevator. TWIN is ideally suited for building heights between 50 and 200 metres and boasts a TÜV-tested safety concept to satisfy the most stringent requirements. Not all technological advances in the elevator sector are directed at commercial and office buildings. Vertechs Industries Inc. revolutionized accessibility in public buildings during the 1990s with its Limited Use/Limited Application (LULA) elevator. Vertechs went on to focus on the needs of the home elevator market. Its primary solution, the Vertechs Veu, is recognized as the first major change in the home elevator industry in over 50 years. It combines the safety and convenience of a commercial elevator with the pleasing esthetics of a residential system. Veu is equipped with a standard full-range motion sensor and two-speed side-sliding automatic doors. Although the system attracts no end of imitators, Vertechs has ensured that not only does Veu have advanced safety features that match or surpass commercial elevator systems (the controller, for example, is CSA/UL and TSSA approved), but that these features are included as part of the standard package – something competitors can't match. Lastly, Bramalea Elevator Ltd. is the go-to solutions provider for vertical transportation needs, primarily freight. Its rider-enabled, Type B, material lift with a free-standing, self-supporting hoistway structure and enclosure, is one of its more prominent solutions and meets or exceeds both the Canadian CSA B44 and the American ASME 17.1 safety codes. The hydraulic Type B is a zeropit lift with a capacity range between 500 and 10,000 pounds; load carrying capacities of 30,000 pounds or more are also possible with the inclusion of a pit and other design features. One of Bramalea's more successful recent no-pit projects was on behalf of Canadian Tire across Canada. Bramalea provided true turnkey installation of 3,000-pound cantilevered free-standing material lifts that connect the lower and upper storage levels of each store. Most of the lift (including the support structure) was fabricated in-house and each unit was shipped as two walls with other bracing members, which greatly reduced installation time. Bramalea is also busy providing spring buffers to designers wanting to create habitable space below elevator shafts. "Usually a shaft must penetrate the entire building, but this compromises valuable space if someone wants to build an underground garage or develop residential suites below a penthouse elevator system," says Puneet Mehta, Bramalea's VP of sales. "The buffers along with reinforced slabs are designed to protect the lower levels in case an elevator comes crashing down. The chance of such an accident is extremely rare, but this simple solution is a distinct benefit to architects and builders." n Elevators 13-07-12 1:36 PM