Alimak climbs to new heights
01 February 2000
ALIMAK AB of Sweden, a leading manufacturer of rack and pinion construction hoists and elevators, has obtained the prestigious contract to supply the passenger/materials hoists to what is claimed to be the world's tallest building - Taipei Financial Centre in Taipei, Taiwan, also called "101 Building".
With 101 floors and a tower on top of the building, the whole structure is projected to rise to a height of 508 m.
During the busiest phase of the construction, around 1,500 people will be working on the site and with the extreme height of the building, the swift, efficient and reliable distribution of men and materials will be of utmost importance, says an Alimak spokesman.
Speaking further on the project, he says that at an early stage of the project, Alimak was contacted by the project manager, Turner Steiner International (TSI), which asked for a proposal how best to meet the high density traffic requirements. Alimak suggested a transport solution which TSI included in its tender documentation and which also appealed to Kajima of Japan which eventually won the construction contract. Kajima has now placed the hoist order with Alimak.
"Alimak's impressive list of references from other high-rise buildings - among them Petronas Tower in Malaysia (381 m) and T&C Tower in Taiwan (333 m) - and the reputation of the Alimak products for safety and economy of operation, were key factors which influenced the decision," says the spokesman.
The equipment ordered for the project comprises:
The three high-speed, dual-cage hoists will be installed one on each side of a separate common access steel tower (not supplied by Alimak) which will be erected adjacent to the 101 building. The fourth side of the tower will have landing bridges fitted for access to the various floors of the building.
The hoists travel at a speed of 100 m/minute and have a payload capacity of between 2.8 and 3.0 tonnes per cage.
All six cages are operated independently and will thus provide an efficient shuttle service for passengers and goods. The two 30/45C have a special size cage 2.0 m wide by 4.5 m long by 2.4 m high (internal size) for handling of large curtain walling panels.
In order to further improve site productivity, the six hoist cages will be connected by a special call system so that when called for from a landing, the cage that is nearest to the landing will pick up the call signal and go to that landing.
This system will minimise waiting times and increase availability of the hoists, he says.
Alimak, meanwhile, has introduced equipment from its C-20 Access System - the new range of work platforms - in the Asian markets.
Alimak has supplied its range of rack and pinion hoists and elevators to many prestigious projects in the Gulf.
