KONE PROVIDING VT FOR MAJOR CHINESE TRANSPORTATION HUBS
KONE PROVIDING VT FOR MAJOR CHINESE TRANSPORTATION HUBS
KONE has won orders to provide the vertical transportation (VT) for two major infrastructure projects in China, one in Zhengzhou in central China and the other in Qingdao on the east coast. Comprised of underground highways, a civic/cultural center and an extension of the city's Metro Line 5, the Zhengzhou project will be served by 79 TransitMasterTM escalators, and 11 MonoSpace® and six MiniSpace® elevators. Designed by Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group Co. and developed and built by ZhengZhou Rail Transit Co., the project is scheduled for completion in 2019. KONE is providing 78 TransitMaster escalators for the new Hong Dao station in Qingdao, the main station of the new Qingdao-Jinan railway line. Developed by The Jinan Qingdao Railway Co. Ltd. and built by China Construction Eighth Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd., the station is expected to be open to the public in 2018.
KINGS III NAMES ELEVATOR PARTNER PROGRAM MANAGER
Kings III Emergency Communications, based in Coppell, Texas, has named Kevin Rippentrop Elevator Partner Program manager. Rippentrop has 10 years of experience in the elevator industry on the supplier side, working with OEMs and independents, and has spent his career leading sales and marketing teams. As Elevator Partner Program manager, he will educate elevator contractors on Kings III's emergency-monitoring services. Rippentrop is based out of the Minneapolis area.
ESCALATORS AMONG UPGRADES AT INDIAN RAIL STATION
Passenger amenities, such as escalators, are among upgrades in store for Guntur Railway Station in the southeastern Indian state of Andra Pradesh, The Hindu reports. Divisional Railway Manager V.G. Bhooma said that, along with electrification of the Guntur-Tenali and Guntur-Pagidipalli lines, expected to occur by December 2018 and February 2019, respectively, all platforms at Guntur Station will have escalators within a year. Three escalators each will be installed at platforms 1, 2, 3 and 4.
WOMAN HURT IN U.K. ESCALATOR FALL
The Manchester Evening News reports that a woman fell over an escalator at a department store in Bolton, U.K., on December 21. According to reports, the woman, thought to be in her mid 20s, fell about 60 ft. Responding paramedics found the woman conscious when they arrived and took her to a hospital for treatment of a suspected broken leg. No information about what caused her fall was available, but a spokesperson for the shopping center said an investigation had been launched.
BRISBANE APPROVES 81-STORY RESIDENTIAL TOWER
Officials in Brisbane, Australia, have approved a plan for a 274-m, 81-story residential tower in the city's central business district, ArchitectureAU reports. The tower, dubbed No. 1 Brisbane by architects Blight Rayner, will house 534 residential units, including two five-bedroom apartments. The slender tower will have a series of protrusions, complemented by greenery, that break up its uniform vertical lines. They will house several “sky gardens,” which will contain pools, cinemas, wellness centers, lounges and relaxation zones set within an elevated subtropical landscape. No. 1 Brisbane will be the fifth structure to reach the city’s maximum building height, which is restricted by aviation authorities.
PLAN CALLS FOR THREE TOWERS IN BASEL, SWITZERLAND
The winning entry in a competition to design a new masterplan for Basel, Switzerland's Nordspitze area calls for the construction of three residential high rises, dezeen reports. The plan, by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, seeks to transform a commercial area into a new urban quarter, complete with high-density residential blocks and two new parks. It calls for three slim, cylindrical towers, one standing 160 m and the other two 135 m, as well as a row of 30-m-tall residential buildings, providing 800 new residential units. No construction timeline was given, and final plans are not due to be submitted until 2020.
