A new report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) investigates the potential for rope-less and multidirectional elevator cabins for high-rise buildings.
The technology runs on a series of seamless loops, powered by magnetic levitation. These rope-less and multidirectional elevator cabins could follow multiple routes within a given building.
This would reduce the number of shafts needed and increase rentable area, while also allowing elevators more options in terms of where they stop across a building’s dimensions. This technology could be paired with skybridges and skyspaces to link communities together at height.
This concept could bolster “the critical link between a piece of architecture and the urban sphere, while combating some of the insularity endemic to skyscrapers,” according to CTBUH. The report is the result of two years of research by the CTBUH Research Office in Venice, CTBUH staff, professionals in the field, and a research team of architecture and supporting academic advisors. It is part of a series of research reports that offer insight into specific areas of skyscraper research.
Related Stories
| Jan 5, 2012
New law bars Defense Department from new LEED certifications
The Defense Department will not be allowed to use any money to certify its buildings LEED Gold or Platinum, under a law President Obama signed Dec. 31.
| Jan 5, 2012
Some ADA accessibility rules change in 2012
Some changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act go into effect beginning March 15, 2012.
| Jan 3, 2012
New SJI Rule on Steel Joists
A new rule from the Steel Joist Institute clarifies when local reinforcement of joists is required for chord loads away from panel points. SJI members offer guidance about how and when to specify loads.
| Dec 29, 2011
OSHA enforcing new fall hazard standards
OSHA is enforcing its new fall protection standards, as evidenced by a recent crackdown in New York.
| Dec 29, 2011
NRCA offers program on new fall-protection requirements
The National Roofing Contractors Association's (NRCA's) program "Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z" will be held Feb. 21 during the organization's 125th Annual Convention.
| Dec 29, 2011
Decision not to fireproof the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub criticized
Some criticized the decision, reasoning that the structure could be a terrorist target.
| Dec 29, 2011
Seismic safety in question at thousands of California public schools
California regulators responsible for enforcing earthquake safety laws have failed to certify more than 16,000 construction projects in California public schools, increasing the risk that some projects may be unsafe, according to a state audit report.
| Dec 29, 2011
GreenWizard offers cloud-based LEED credit management, assessment
The company recently began offering companies the ability to run assessments for design credits, in addition to traditional product-specific LEED credits.
| Dec 22, 2011
Federal home weatherization program has impacted 6.8 million homes
More than 6.8 million homes have been weatherized using federal, state, utility, and other funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
| Dec 22, 2011
Group developing BIM data standards
A collaboration among Georgia Tech’s Digital Building Lab, the Precast Concrete Institute, the American Concrete Institute, and the American Institute of Steel Construction aims to develop global standards for transportation of three-dimensional digital models among fabricator, architecture, engineering, and construction groups.