An elevator system designed for buildings exceeding 100 m in height, incorporating specialised engineering for rope dynamics, aerodynamics, thermal expansion, seismic resilience, and transfer floor sky-lobby strategies.
Full Definition
High-rise elevators (skyscraper lifts, ultra high-rise systems) serving buildings above 100 m (and particularly above 300 m) face engineering challenges absent in standard installations: (1) Rope dynamics — suspension ropes and compensation ropes develop resonant longitudinal and lateral oscillations driven by building sway and elevator motion; active rope sway control systems dampen resonance; (2) Aerodynamics — air pressure differentials in the hoistway due to stack effect cause piston-effect noise and door operation problems; sealed hoistway doors and air relief openings mitigate this; (3) Thermal expansion — guide rail expansion across 100+ floors requires expansion joints and careful alignment; (4) Travel time — direct express service from ground to sky lobby at high speed (up to 10 m/s) minimises journey time; local elevators serve sky lobbies to individual floors; (5) Seismic — EN 81-77 seismic design requirements become critical; (6) Double-deck and destination dispatch systems maximise core efficiency. Notable high-rise elevator products include the KONE UltraRope (carbon fibre belt replacing steel rope for ultra-high-rise), Schindler 7000, and Otis SkyRise.
