by Brianna Crandall — January 23, 2017 — London’s skyline is set to change as AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets, acting on behalf of its clients, commence the main build of the Twentytwo development on Bishopsgate, scheduled for completion in 2019. Developed by Lipton Rogers and designed by PLP Architecture, the 59-story building will use 67 state-of-the-art Otis elevators and escalators, including what are called the fastest SkyRise double-deck elevators in Europe, which travel up to 8 meters per second.
The 59-story Twentytwo high-rise office building in London will install 57 Otis elevators and 10 escalators, including three SkyBuild self-climbing construction elevators, which will transition into SkyRise elevators once construction is complete.
Twentytwo (22 Bishopsgate) is being built by Multiplex on a prime site just minutes from the new Liverpool Street Crossrail station. At 255 meters (840 feet) tall, it will fill a gap at the center of the city’s eastern cluster of tall buildings. Once complete, this 1.4 million-square-foot office will be home to a workforce of approximately 12,000 people.
Otis Limited, the local Otis entity, will install 57 elevators and 10 escalators, including 18 Gen2 elevators, 13 SkyRise single-deck, and 26 SkyRise double-deck elevators combined with the CompassPlus destination management system. Otis, whose founder is said to have invented the safety elevator, is a unit of United Technologies Corp. and a global manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products for 163 years, including elevators, escalators and moving walkways.
Lipton Rogers and Multiplex Construction will use three Otis SkyBuild self-climbing construction elevators to move people and goods faster and safely allow them to better manage the construction program for the project.
The SkyBuild construction elevator is now a standard option in the company’s suite of global, fully integrated high-rise solutions — the SkyRise elevator system. Installed at the beginning of a building’s construction, the SkyBuild elevator allows movement of crews and tools quickly and safely — without an external lift or exposure to weather. Its unique hydraulic piston system enables it to quickly climb one floor at a time as the building rises. Once construction is complete, the SkyBuild elevator transitions for service as a SkyRise elevator, Otis’ premier elevator for the world’s tallest buildings.
According to Otis, its Gen2 elevator redefined the elevator industry with breakthrough technology that replaced conventional ropes with flat belts, leading to a more comfortable ride, greater reliability, more efficient operation, and increased energy efficiency compared to conventional roped elevators. Since its introduction, Otis has sold more than a half million units.
