Session 4d: Technological Advancements
Chair: Rick Barker, Barker Mohandas
Speakers
Click a presenter to see a video of their presentation, and the accompanying paper and PowerPoint presentation.
Markus Jetter
Chief Engineer High Rise and Functional SafetyTK Elevator GmbH
“A Next Generation Vertical Transportation System”
Stefan Gerstenmeyer
Head of Elevator Traffic and Group Controlthyssenkrupp
“A Next Generation Vertical Transportation System”
Shelley Finnigan
Associate Dean, Master's and Professional EducationNorthwestern University
“Steel and the Skyscraper City”
Session Summary
Although the quest to build the tallest often commands the biggest headlines in the media, the quest to build better is arguably much more important. Technological advances have always been a driver of innovation in the tall building industry, and this continues to be the case today. Recent advances focus not just on improving the typology of tall buildings, but on the ways in which people interact with the buildings and their surroundings. This session keyed in on innovative elevator designs, new possibilities in vertical transportation, and the critical influence of steel in the tall building industry.
Markus Jetter, Head of Product Development, and Stefan Gerstenmeyer, Head of Elevator Traffic, ThyssenKrupp, kicked things off with an overview of ThyssenKrupp’s proposal for the next generation of vertical transportation, MULTI. They explained how the system relies on magnetic levitation and individually motorized elevator cabins to create a seamless network of vertical transportation that creates a traffic pattern similar to that of a looping railway system. The presenters were excited to show the audience a video of a scale prototype for MULTI that was recently completed and put on display in Germany. The duo also gave an update on the status of the ThyssenKrupp test tower in Rotweil, which when completed in 2016 will house a full-scale MULTI system.
Next, Shelley Finnigan, Technical Sales Engineer, ArcelorMittal, described the important advances in steel production that set the stage for the large profiles currently used in tall buildings. Beginning with the advent of crucible steel, it was the blast oxygen and electric arc furnaces that came to define steel production processes around the world. Finnigan noted that it was the electric arc furnace in particular that allowed for the use of recycled steel, thereby increasing the sustainability of the material significantly. She then walked through several of the critical advances in the production of steel shapes, like the continuous caster, the rolling mill, and quenching and self tempering banks. The presentation finished with a quick look at some of the iconic buildings that never would have been possible without steel.
John Mizon, VP of Advanced Programs, Schindler, then spoke on the transformative impacts that vertical transportation has had on the architectural world, and presented some of the technologies at Schindler that they hope will continue pushing the envelope in how buildings are designed and how occupants navigate and interact with the built environment. Mizon overviewed new technologies for summoning elevators and organizing passengers, like the MICONIC 10 and the PORT system. He then introduced Urban Shelf, a multi-layered development concept that would provide a secure and low-cost alternative to informal settlements like favelas.