Lotte World Tower elevator takes riders 121 stories in 1 minute

Dive Brief:

Visitors to Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates' newly opened Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea, can travel to the top of the 123-story building in the span of a single minute thanks to an elevator that's been pegged as the world's fastest, according to Bloomberg.
Installed by Otis Elevator Co. Korea, the double-deck elevator's 1,627-foot-long run starts in a sub-basement and ends at an observation deck on the 121st floor. It can hold 54 passengers, according to the company.
The tower, which is currently the fifth-tallest in the world, is attempting LEED Gold certification. It is outfitted with green features including photovoltaic panels, external shading devices and wind turbines.

Dive Insight:

From carbon-fiber cables to magnetic levitation, new technology has today's elevators moving faster and smoother than ever before, reducing the need for mechanical space and limiting down time.

For example, elevator manufacturer Kone is marketing carbon fiber ropes that promise to be lighter and thinner than conventional steel. And this year, ThyssenKrupp will begin testing a magnetic levitation system that will allow cars to move upward, downward and sideways on rails through shafts. The company recently completed an 800-plus-foot-tall observation tower in Rottweil, Germany, to carry out the test.

Efforts to improve motor performance, reduce rope weight and limit vibration earned Hitachi recognition for running the world's fastest elevators as of May 2016. Over the course of 60,000 runs at the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, in China, the system achieved sustained speeds of 65 feet per second.

Meanwhile, new destination dispatch systems from a host of elevator companies are improving the flow of foot traffic in and out of the building.

Such systems typically include a touch-screen that lets users select their destination floor and groups riders accordingly. Riders and tenants can also preset unique conditions — such as a CEO that prefers to ride alone, a company that wants to restrict access to its floor or an individual with a disability who needs more time to get in and out of the cab.