Anything you can do I can do better… that seems to be the case for the the world’s tallest building and the fastest elevators! Currently, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai which was completed in 2010 holds the record at 2716 feet. However, the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia which began construction this January and is scheduled to open in 2017 will likely be the world’s tallest building at 3281 feet!
One of the biggest challenges to build so high is elevator tech. Buildings are reaching higher into the sky and travel distances and times are becoming so great that it poses as a drawback for tenants or workers in the building. The challenges are elevator shaft height and speed limits. Elevator cars in the Burj Khalifa and soon to be Kingdom Tower glide upward at a maximum speed up of 32 feet per second for a short elevator commute under 2 minutes. The Shanghai Tower which will be completed in 2014, plans to have the fastest elevator in the world by zipping by at 59 feet per second!
Twelve people were injured and four were taken to the hospital with broken legs due to an elevator malfunction in Lianyungang, China. One of the injured said that there were about 14 to 15 people in the elevator and as soon as the lift door closed, the elevator immediately fell 18 floors to the ground without warning. Another injured person said that she heard sounds of reinforced steel fracturing. The elevator’s load is limited to 13 people or 2,200 pounds. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Most people try to avoid touching escalator handrails or even the restroom door handle. But, employees at the London based communications firm Engine are much more daring! They recently had a lickable wallpaper which consists of 1,325 Jaffa Cakes installed in one of their elevators! Jaffa Cakes resemble cookies in appearance but have three layers which consists of a sponge base, orange flavored jelly and a chocolate coating. No need to worry about germs… a bellboy removes the stickers after a Jaffa Cake has been licked! This exciting project is a nonconventional way in which Engine hopes to help encourage stress relief.
Happy Friday! Check out Tom Gonzales’ awesome car elevator at his Lake Tahoe estate… with the push of a button, a car elevator pops up from the driveway! It’s capable of lifting up to 250,000 pounds and can hold a parked motorhome and several vehicles!
Want to make six figures? Having a career as an Elevator Mechanic among other surprising jobs such as a Loan Officer, Casino Manager and Makeup Artist could pay up to that amount! The average annual salary for the top 10 percent of elevator mechanics makes $101,390!
LAS VEGAS – A man is hospitalized in critical condition after plunging down an elevator shaft at the Luxor Hotel and Casino over the weekend. Sources tell the I-Team the man, a Nellis serviceman, suffered massive head trauma.
According to metro police, one man shoved the other man causing him to hit an elevator door. The outer door is called the hoistway door and it’s not supposed to open unless the elevator cab door inside the shaft is also open. There is a piece of vinyl at the bottom called a gibb and a steel bracket (Read more about THE SEES ENFORCER and how this could have been prevented) to prevent the door from opening. It is not known if both of those were present at the time of this accident.
When the man’s body hit the elevator door, it forced the hoistway door to swing back. The man fell 20 feet down the shaft, hitting moving cables and machinery along the way.
Metro police are also investigating. So far, they have not pressed charges against the Nellis serviceman involved. MGM Resorts International says they are fully cooperating with investigators and their thoughts go out to the injured serviceman’s family.
In 1977 Richard and Verne Fitzgerald started SEES Inc., Richard brought to the business ten years experience in elevator service and construction. Together they built SEES into the largest independent manufacturer and supplier of replacement parts in the USA.
In 2008 we established Ningbo SEES our branch in Ningbo, China, and in spring of 2009 we opened the doors to our new LA location.
Our Mission is to be the BEST elevator parts company in the world by dedicating our resources, our talents, and our energies to help improve the elevator industry. .
LAS VEGAS – A man is hospitalized in critical condition after plunging down an elevator shaft at the Luxor Hotel and Casino over the weekend. Sources tell the I-Team the man, a Nellis serviceman, suffered massive head trauma.
