World’s Tallest Lift Tower
Japan opens the World’s tallest lift tower which stands at 173 meters high. Solae, they call her, is situated at Inazawa City and is constructed by Mitsubishi Electric (although I thought it would have been Honda with all their “The Power of Dreams” stuff).
Mitsubishi is said to use the tower to conduct research into high-speed elevators to serve the next generation of super-tall buildings such as the
Dubai Tower.
Don’t be deceived by its look, Solae cost 5 billion yen to construct and will be used to test new drives, gears, cables and other lift systems
The Taipei 101 lifts - built by Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems - have a top speed of 17m/s (61km/h; 38mph) and is recognised as the fastest in the world. They incorporate a pressure control system that stops riders’ ears from “popping”, and streamlined cars that reduce the whistling noise that blights some fast lifts as they are pulled through narrow shafts. Sounds more like a space rocket eh? Well, Solae will be used to test grandier elevators than this in the future!
Source:
BBC News