ONE OF INDIA’S TALLEST TOWERS HEADED TOWARD COMPLETION
ONE OF INDIA’S TALLEST TOWERS HEADED TOWARD COMPLETION
At 300 m tall and 80 stories, Spira will become one of the tallest buildings in India, and developer Supertech Ltd. expects it to be complete in two years, the Hindustan Times reports. Part of the Supernova development in Noida, Spira will contain 600 studio apartments and 250 other residential units, along with offices, hotels, stores and an array of high-end amenities including "high-tech and high-speed elevators," according to contractor Arabian Construction Co. (ACC). Earlier this month, construction reached the 59th floor on Spira, and approximately 100 residents had moved into their homes in the 44-story, 180-m-tall Nova East and West towers. Supertech said it is developing 80,000 flats at 50 locations across northern India.
ELEVATOR PLUMMETS 20 FLOORS IN TEHRAN, KILLING SIX WORKERS
An elevator at a construction site in the Chitgar District of Tehran plummeted more than 20 stories on September 4, killing six workers, the Associated Press reports, citing information from Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency that was based on unofficial reports. One official said three Iranians and three Afghans were killed. The incident is under investigation.
ESCALATORS FOR THREE CTA STATIONS DEEMED NOT ENOUGH
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) said an escalator from platform to mezzanine will be installed as part of the modernization of three of its Blue Line subway stations between the Loop and O'Hare International Airport, but one critic contends that is not enough, the Chicago Tribune reports. Dating to the early 1950s, the Grand, Chicago and Division stations under Milwaukee Avenue will get cosmetic upgrades, along with one escalator each. There will be no escalators from mezzanine to sidewalk and no elevators. F.K. Plous, director of communications for rail finance company Corridor Capital LLC, says that is unacceptable. CTA agreed additional escalators and elevators are needed, but said there is no money for them. All CTA stations are scheduled to become Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant by 2038.
HEIGHT VARIANCE PAVES WAY FOR CANADIAN CITY’S FIFTH TALLEST
The City Council in Kelowna, Canada, has approved a height variance for the Mission Group’s Brooklyn tower that will allow it to reach 26 stories, making it the city’s fifth-tallest building, Kelowna Capital News reports. The planning department in the city, located in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, praised the design of the tower’s top three floors and said it will make a positive contribution to the skyline. Mission Group plans to build two additional towers of unspecified height on the downtown site. Brooklyn will contain 178 residential units, and sales are set to start this month.
