Thyssenkrupp, one of the world's leading elevator companies, has unveiled its revolutionary rope-less and sideways-moving elevator system, Multi, a first-of-its-kind in the world.

One of the industry's most forward-thinking innovations created since the 19th century: the world’s first rope-less and sideways-moving elevator system, Multi, was unveiled at the 246-m tall test tower in Rottweil, Germany.

Instead of one cabin per shaft moving up and down, the Multi offers multiple cabins operating in loop, like a metro system inside a building. Without the use of cables, the system runs on a safe multi-level brake system and redundant wireless data and energy management on the cars, said the German industrial giant.

The much anticipated concept today becomes a reality, as thyssenkrupp launches the first fully functional unit at its purpose-built innovation test tower in Rottweil, Germany, it added.

More than 160 years after the invention of the conventional elevator, the top German multinational conglomerate  disrupts the industry by unveiling the first functional horizontal-vertical elevator system Multi at the 246-m tall tower, said a top official.
 
Commenting on the launch, Andreas Schierenbeck, the chief executive of thyssenkrupp Elevator, said: "We believe Multi is a genuine gamechanger that will truly transform the way people move, work and live in our built environment. It will reduce waiting times for passengers and take up significantly less space within the building."

"Multi is a key offering that truly represents a landmark revolution in the elevator industry," he noted.

Multi requires fewer and smaller shafts than conventional elevators and can increase the building’s usable area by up to 25 per cent, representing extra revenues from the additional rentable/leasable space, explained Schierenbeck.

This is particularly important considering current elevator-escalator footprints can occupy up to 40 per cent of a high-rise building’s floor space, depending on the building height, he noted.

According to him, the world premiere will also announce the leading European real estate business OVG Real Estate as Multi’s very first customer. In partnership with thyssenkrupp, various Multi systems will be installed in the new East Side Tower building in Berlin, he added.

The building is set to become a pole of attraction and known around the world as one of the references of the German capital.

Almost 200 representatives of the building industry are due to convene at the event, including high
profile developers, architects and engineers from around the globe.

Besides Schierenbeck, top industry players including Coen van Oostrom, CEO of OVG Real Estate, and Antony Wood, the executive director of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) will be present.

"We are absolutely delighted to partner with thyssenkrupp and to have the very first Multi installed in our latest project, The East Side Tower in Berlin," remarked Coen van Oostrom.

"The building – adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Arena and neighbour to Warschauer Strasse – is set to become a new landmark on the Berlin skyline. What drives OVG is continuous innovation in smart technology, sustainability and well-being, which keeps our company one step ahead of the rest," he stated.

"The forward-thinking new technology that Multi brings to our flagship project, is a perfect fit for us," he added.

Experts pointed out that with the cities continuing to grow and buildings getting larger and taller to accommodate more people, planners and architects are facing significant challenges around moving people comfortably and quickly to their destinations.

Multi can achieve up to 50 per cent higher transport capacity and reduce peak power demand by as much as 60 per cent when compared to conventional elevator systems, these two factors mean a dramatic improvement for high-rise buildings, they stated.

Additionally, since Multi can move sideways as well as vertically, and without any height limitations, it enables unprecedented possibilities in the architecture and design of buildings, they added.

According to experts, the Multi requires dramatically lower peak power permitting a better management of the building’s energy needs, consequently reducing the investment costs in the power supply infrastructure.

On the novel system, Wood said: "This is perhaps the biggest development in the elevator industry since the invention of the safety elevator some 165 years ago. The ‘holy grail’ for elevators has been to move beyond being pulled vertically by a rope under tension – towards a system that allows movement in inclined or horizontal directions."

"Multi, more than any other product delivered to date, really shows the way forward for that potential. This has the capacity to transform the industry at large, changing the way tall buildings are designed, and allowing for much more efficient core designs, as well as better connectivity in buildings," he added.-TradeArabia News Service