World’s fastest elevators are in Asia
Six out of the ten world’s fastest elevators are in Asia! Is this a sign of Asia’s rise? Well, Forbes think it is! They even named it the ‘Elevator Index’ and explains:
It isn’t a perfect measure, but where the economies zoom, tall buildings go up. And keeping those buildings economically feasible means outfitting them with fast elevators. Getting work done efficiently doesn’t happen when employees are shuttled up and down 60 or so stories at a snail’s pace. What company wants its workers on an hour-long cigarette break? - Forbes
Although the top floors of these skyscrapers will probably be used more for tourism than as offices, Forbes do have a point, who wants to be stuck in a stuffy small room with strangers for so long?
Riding these fast elevators is a thrill by itself, with features such as modern pressure control system to reduce stomach churning and ear popping, double-decker elevators that can carry up to 46 people, streamlined carts to minimise whistling noise and vibration. All these fancy gagdets make these elevator rides sound more like a trip to outer space, don’t you think? Just take a look at the video below on the fastest elevator in the world (TaiPei 101), they have a screen showing your speed, height, which floor your on, time taken and a pretty red dot displaying where you are in the building! An ‘out-of-this-world experience, i say!
Here are the three fastest elevators in the world:
Third:
Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower), located in United Arab Emirates is not completed yet, but when it does in 2008 it will be the world’s tallest building at the height of 555.3 meters. The skyscraper will cost an estimated $4.1 Billion. Nevertheless, the Burj Dubai will only hold the world’s third fastest elevator at 600 meters per minute.
Second:
Yokohama Landmark Tower, located in Yokohama, Japan stands at 296 meters with its elevator able to travel at 750 meters per minute! That’s one floor a second!
First:
However, TaiPei 101, located in Taiwan is currently the world’s tallest building (509.2 meters) and houses the world’s fastest elevator! It’s elevator travels at the speed of 1,010 meters per minute! A speed one-third faster than the previous record! Maybe Dubai Tower should have gotten themselves one of these instead?
Here’s the video showing the ride in the TaiPei 101 elevators, the world’s fastest elevators:
It’s quite an experience, eh? It even got some space music in the background!
14 out of 20 of the world’s tallest buildings are in Asia and the Middle East now, and none of them are older than 17 years! An impressive statistic, and if Forbes’ ‘Elevator index’ works, it shows just how much potential Asia has. Impressive isn’t it?
Source:
Forbes