The Shanghai Tower is already known around the world for currently being the tallest twisting tower in the world and the second tallest building in the world overall. Now, it also has the distinction of adding three newly awarded Guinness World Records to its resume. Shanghai Tower officially has the world’s fastest elevator, the tallest elevator in a building, and the fastest double-deck elevator.
Shanghai Tower’s elevators were designed by Mitsubishi Electric and just barely outpaced elevators designed by Hitachi in the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, which can reach speeds of 20 meters per second, or 44.7 mph.
The fastest elevator in Shanghai Tower can reach speeds of 20.5 meters per second, or 45.8 mph. However, in order to achieve these speeds, a Mitsubishi technician needs to be on hand to press the proverbial red button and send the elevator into hyperdrive. Without the technician, what most people experience in Shanghai Tower is an elevator ride that only reaches 40 mph.
While elevators may be able to continue to reach higher and higher speeds, at least one elevator engineer believes a speed of about 24 meters per second, or 53.6 mph, is the limit. According to CNN, this is because the people in an elevator traveling faster than 24 meters per second would not have time to adjust to the air pressure on the top floor. The entire building would need to be pressurized like an airplane to be able to achieve higher speeds.
For now, Shanghai Tower’s 45.8 mph represents the pinnacle of elevator speed, though, with the sheer volume of supertall buildings being constructed around the world, don’t be surprised if that record is soon broken.
Related Stories
| Dec 14, 2011
Belfer Research Building tops out in New York
Hundreds of construction trades people celebrate reaching the top of concrete structure for facility that will accelerate treatments and cures at world-renowned institution.
| Dec 12, 2011
AIA Chicago announces Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as 2011 Firm of the Year
SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment.
| Dec 2, 2011
What are you waiting for? BD+C's 2012 40 Under 40 nominations are due Friday, Jan. 20
Nominate a colleague, peer, or even yourself. Applications available here.
| Nov 22, 2011
Suffolk Construction selected as contractor for Boston luxury residential tower
Project team breaks ground on 488,000-sf building that will feature world-class amenities.
| Nov 15, 2011
Suffolk Construction breaks ground on the Victor housing development in Boston
Project team to manage construction of $92 million, 377,000 square-foot residential tower.
| Oct 20, 2011
Johnson Controls appoints Wojciechowski to lead real estate and facilities management business for Global Technology sector
Wojciechowski will be responsible for leading the continued growth of the technology vertical market, while building on the expertise the company has developed serving multinational technology companies.
| Oct 18, 2011
Michel Bruneau wins 2012 AISC T.R. Higgins Award
The AISC T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award is presented annually by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and recognizes an outstanding lecturer and author whose technical paper(s) are considered an outstanding contribution to the engineering literature on fabricated structural steel.
| Oct 12, 2011
Vertical Transportation Systems Reach New Heights
Elevators and escalators have been re-engineered to help building owners reduce energy consumption and move people more efficiently.
| Oct 6, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: NEXT Living EcoSuite showcased
Tridel teams up with Cisco and Control4 to unveil the future of green condo living in Canada.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Johnson Controls announces Panoptix, a new approach to building efficiency
Panoptix combines latest technology, new business model and industry-leading expertise to make building efficiency easier and more accessible to a broader market.
