Kone, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has initiated the very first phases of its elevator installations at the Kingdom Tower construction site in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom Tower project, which is owned and developed by Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), will be the world’s tallest building once completed in 2018 and is expected to rise to a height of more than one kilometre.

The project team arrived on site last January and is currently working on pre-installation activities concerning the fitting of the elevator system’s guiderails, which is expected to begin towards the end of this year. The installation of the guiderails, as well as the eventual installation of the Kone elevator cars, will then progress as the Kingdom Tower’s central structure rises over the coming years, said a statement from Kone.

Kone’s engineering and project management teams are preparing for the next phases of the project which will cover the manufacturing and delivery of Kone's vertical transportation solutions, it said.

Last year, Kone and JEC jointly announced their partnership which will see Kone provide all
elevators and escalators for the Kingdom Tower building. In total, Kone will manufacture and
install 57 elevators and eight escalators for the Kingdom Tower project.

Kone Areeco, Kone’s Saudi Arabian joint venture, has been involved in the planning and design of all vertical transportation systems for the Kingdom Tower over the past two years in conjunction with Kone’s global experts.

For a building with such unprecedented height, Kone will deliver uniquely advanced technology: the world’s fastest and highest DoubleDeck elevators, supported by Kone UltraRope technology, as well as the latest people flow intelligence solutions, the company said.

“I am delighted we are now at the stage of taking the next leap with Kone in the construction of the Kingdom Tower,” said  Mounib Hammoud, CEO of Jeddah Economic Company.

“Building the tallest tower in the world is about human ingenuity and the strength of the materials used. Based on this premise, Kone is the only vertical transportation service provider in the world capable of delivering what we need at the Kingdom Tower – specifically the capability of travelling at a speed of over 10 m per second with DoubleDeck elevators to reach the highest liveable floor in the world in 52 seconds. In addition, the high-speed elevators will rise 660 m to the observation deck, making it the world’s highest elevator rise,” he said.

“Furthermore, with the use of Kone UltraRope, which is one-third of the weight of traditional ropes, we will be able to fit the DoubleDeck elevators with normal machines, a huge advantage that will enhance the sustainability of the Kingdom Tower by consuming much less power,” added Hammoud.

“We are absolutely thrilled at having our operations up and running at the Kingdom Tower
construction site and to start our installation activities alongside the construction of the tower’s core
structure,” said Sascha Brozek, senior vice president, major projects, Kone. “Without a doubt,
the Kingdom Tower project will push the industry’s limits to new heights and we are very proud to
be an integral part of that journey.

"We also look forward to continuing our close collaboration with JEC, the Saudi Binladin Group (the contractor) and all the other parties involved in the construction of this epic landmark.” - TradeArabia News Service