For decades, Bangkok has been growing into a city of towers. About 11.2 million people call the megacity home, making its population density 5,300 people per square kilometer. High density makes a more effective use of transportation, energy, healthcare and even entertainment, but it also means space is precious.
In Bangkok, KONE collaborates with local partners like Gaysorn Property, a leading property developer and manager, to find clever and innovative solutions to make the most out of every cubic meter.
One way to do this is to devote as much space as possible to the people using the building. However, taller structures present some unique challenges. For instance, a 200-meter-tall building requires long and heavy elevator ropes, along with a heavy counterweight and large, robust machinery.
Next generation elevators save electricity and space
To address these challenges, KONE has developed both hardware and software to make better use of space in high-rise buildings. One key innovation is the rope.
“In a 200-meter-tall building, a typical elevator rope might weigh 2 tons,” says Fanny Lalau, major projects director, KONE Asia Pacific. “However, with KONE UltraRope® the same length would only weigh 0.2 tons. Weight is reduced by 80% and moving mass by 17%.”
The lightweight UltraRope is made of a carbon fiber core surrounded by a high-friction coating. Lalau says the lower weight and mass reduces energy usage while the improved composition means the rope has three times longer lifespan and 11% lower carbon footprint compared to steel rope.
“Sustainability is important today and will be more so in the future,” says Khun Fafuen Temboonkiat, Gaysorn Property’s managing director. “Customers ask for better sustainability, and of course we want it, too. We have reduced the energy consumption in our properties approximately 30-40% over the past 5-6 years.”
The KONE High-Rise MiniSpace™ DX elevator is the latest innovation which packs a big punch into a small area combining KONE UltraRope® and advanced Destination Control System that comes with an energy management function. This allows for a reduction in elevator energy consumption by up to 30% during a typical office day.
This new high-rise solution has benefits from the roof to the roots of a building. For example, it has a smaller machine room and headroom height, saving space at the top of buildings. Lightweight hoisting technology lowers structural loads, which minimizes the amount of required shaft reinforcement. This solution also has a smaller pit height, making for faster and cheaper excavations and lower construction costs.
Enhancing people flow through access solutions
The limited space in tall buildings can also be optimized with access and destination control systems, improving the people flow. KONE’s solution analyzes the destination floors and the number of waiting passengers to improve efficiency and convenience.
When employees select their destination floor before entering the lobby area, they are guided directly to their car. People going to the same range of floors are assigned the same car, minimizing the number of stops.
A clever architect and the use of such systems also work in residential properties.
“We worked with KONE on the Tela Thonglor luxury residential property,” Temboonkiat describes. “In this project, we eliminated the need for a common lobby by having four private elevators, ensuring that residents have direct and exclusive access to their homes. This controlled access to the elevators not only enhances the privacy and security of the residents but also ensures efficient and smooth vertical transportation within the building.”
Keeping up with high-rise living through modernization
“Because our systems are upgradable, they are future-proof and able to integrate new technology,” says Lalau. “For instance, facial recognition could be used to control access to different areas of mixed-use buildings. Or what about admitting delivery robots? With an open API, publicly available interface that allows developers to integrate new features or access data, we can build future solutions on top of our existing ones.”
Temboonkiat points out that modernizations for upgrading a building’s technology are becoming more important because people are continually wanting new and better experiences. It can be seen as a “flight to quality”, so the ability to upgrade is crucial for building owners to remain relevant in a competitive market.
“Another trend we are seeing is a shorter time between modernizations,” Lalau says. “New innovations can significantly improve operations and user experience, so more frequent upgrades are worthwhile.”
Combining all these space-optimizing solutions will help future-proof the property and even give it an extra floor.
“It would be great to have more rentable space!” Temboonkiat exclaims. “If I had an extra floor in a building, I would think how it could best benefit the customer. I would want new and better experiences for them, such as new amenities or gathering spaces.”
As cities across Asia and beyond continue to grow, the art of using every inch wisely and sustainably will be the foundation of urban living for generations to come. Shaping thriving vertical cities is about embracing innovation, sustainability, and efficiency.