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30
seconds. That’s all it takes
for the world’s fastest
panoramic elevator to
transport you from ground
level, all the way to the 45th
floor at the Leadenhall Building, the latest iconic
addition to London’s skyline.
Incorporating enough glass to cover nine
football fields, the structure is livened up
with an array of 22 fully glazed scenic KONE
elevators, which can be seen behind the
building’s glass encasing.
Designed by
Graham Stirk
of world-
acclaimed architects, Rogers Stirk Harbour +
Partners, the 45-story skyscraper is the tallest
building in the Square Mile financial district,
with 57,000 square meters of office space
providing spectacular views across the Thames
River and beyond.
BOLD REINVENTION OF DESIGN
A masterpiece in the making since 2011, this
was one of the most challenging and rewarding
projects for KONE.
The successful design and technical
integration of the elevators was central to the
architecture, affirms architect
Maurice Brennan
from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. “We had
a close working relationship with KONE. From
the beginning, every component was under the
radar. The visual design, technical solutions and
strategy for delivery were developed in parallel.
Any other methodology would not have
achieved the unique world-class installation we
see in the building today.”
case
“The pedestrian traffic
below can look up
and see nothing but a
perfectly empty shaft.”
VERTICAL EVOLUTION
“Every component is a one-off designed according
to precise specifications,” says
Michael Williams
,
Managing Director of KONE Great Britain.
The color accents of the minimalistic elevators
match the signature elements of the architecture.
Wrapped around the glazed car is an eye-
catching sling in striking orange for passengers
and bright green for goods, with integrated
balustrades making the car appear taller.
The secret to the clean look is the absence
of trunking and electrification in the shaft. All
wiring is subtly concealed in floor zones and
interfaces adjacent to the elevator well.
“This is a world first,” reveals Williams. “The
pedestrian traffic below can look up and see
nothing but a perfectly empty shaft. The clean
visual lines look simple, but the simplicity was
massively complicated to achieve.”
Another world first is the special auto-transfer
software integrated in the KONE PolarisTM
Destination Control System. “A passenger is
able to transfer between the low-, mid- and
high- rise elevator zones at the push of a single
button, was the system automatically allocates
the designated car,” explains Williams.
INSIDE-OUT MASTERPIECE
The skyscraper has no real ground floor, but sits
on stilts above a grassy public concourse. KONE
escalators provide seamless transition into the
reception area, and everyone who enters can
see internal components and the escalators
constantly moving and working.
The Leadenhall Building is truly a showpiece,
as both the escalators and elevators are 100
percent visible from outside. “They are the
front door of the building,” says Brennan, who
praises KONE’s willingness to get the fine details
millimeter- perfect. /
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