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16 January 2014
JEDDAH – ThyssenKrupp Access, one of the leading suppliers for chairlifts, platform lifts as well as home elevators, recently won the 2014 Project of the Year award by Elevator World magazine for its successful installation of the highest chairlift in the world, in Abraj Al-Bait Towers, also known as the Makkah Royal Hotel Clock Tower. The world’s third tallest building is only a few meters away from one of Islam’s most sacred sites – the Ka’aba. The tower’s highest point is now equipped with a “Flow” chairlift.
In Saudi Arabia, rising standards of living lead to an increasing demand for products and services enhancing comfort and quality of life.
Farid Oilad Adj Amar, Business Development Manager Middle East, ThyssenKrupp Access, said: “Our products help make life easy and comfortable, at home as well as in public areas. We can tailor an individual solution for every customer for each situation in life.”
So besides the Makkah Clock Tower Project, for example ThyssenKrupp Access provided 36 exclusive home elevators in Jabal Omar Town Houses in Makkah.
Oilad added: “The Makkah Clock Tower project is one of our most noteworthy projects in this region. Our “Flow” chairlift was found to be the only suitable lifting solution to provide access to the very top of the building and due to the exclusiveness of the venture, the international magazine Elevator World has honored the company with its 2014 Project of the Year award.”
The project won the 1st prize in the category “Platform Lifts & Stairway Chairlifts” scoring in terms of technical product specifications and uniqueness of installation side. It prevailed against more than 20 competitive submissions. Other decisive criteria were innovation, originality, creativity, challenges to overcome, installation methods and technique as well as the use of advanced technology.
The rail of the chairlift was tailor-made to fit into the extreme steep and narrow surroundings of the tower´s staircase with seven spirals, a total of 91 steps and an average tread with of 380 mm only. The chairlift consists of 13 rail parts with 29 curves, adding up to a complete rail length of 24.8 meters. The rail was installed on the inner curve of the staircase in order to minimize the space used on the stairway.
To allow the chairlift to smoothly maneuver on the staircase, the Flow chairlift is equipped with patented ASL Advanced Swivel and Leveling technology. This unique system synchronizes the drive unit of the chairlift with the geometry of the rail, thereby ensuring that the seat is directed through the stairwell by making maximum use of the limited space available. This technology qualified the Flow chairlift as the only possible chairlift solution to be installed in this particular environment.
For the installation of a “Flow” chairlift as a tailor-made product - accurate measurements are crucial for production of the rail - these are normally carried out by photogrammetric measurement systems. In the “Makkah Clock Tower” however it was not possible to carry out the survey computer assisted as neither the crescent on top of the building nor the claddings around the spire had been installed by that time. So, open-air at a height of 569 meters and exposed to strong winds, measurement of the entire staircase had to be performed by hand, making it a major challenge.
The final installation of the chairlift, the complete rail system with all 13 sections and 29 curves, was finished within just one week. Taking into consideration that the system had to be assembled and wired within the limited space available in the spiral stairwell, this is a remarkably short period.
So, all in all, the jury of the 16th Elevator World´s Project of the Year awards decided for “Makkah Clock Tower” as a first class reference project in the elevator industry from initial consultancy in finding the best suitable solution to the final installation.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140116192681
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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