The Sky Tower in Auckland is set to use KONE UltraRope ®; a revolutionary carbon fibre based hoisting technology. The building, at 328 metres high, is the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand and the country’s most popular tourist attraction. The observation decks and world-class restaurant facilities provide visitors with stunning views of the greater Auckland area and the surrounding coastline.
KONE was awarded a modernisation contract for the Sky Tower in 2012, which saw various design aspects of the building updated with KONE solutions. Now, KONE’s latest innovation, the UltraRope, has been added to the project due to its ability to reduce energy consumption and mitigate the effect of building sway.
“KONE UltraRope is a breakthrough carbon fibre based hoisting material designed to allow future elevator journeys of one kilometre; twice the distance currently feasible. We are extremely proud to work with SKYCITY in the elevator modernisation of the iconic Sky Tower in Auckland,” said Johannes de Jong, Head of Technology, Major Projects, KONE.
“The modernisation from conventional ropes to KONE UltraRope in high-rise buildings brings tangible benefits in terms of energy efficiency, longer lifetime and less sensitivity to building sway. Over 3,000 buildings globally would benefit from a rope modernisation similar to the one taking place at the Sky Tower.”
“The significance of the Sky Tower as a key part of Auckland’s tourism industry can’t be understated,” said Arron Money, SKYCITY’s Executive Manager Capital Development and Facility Services. “Maintaining and modernising our facility is crucial to ensuring we are providing an exceptional experience for our customers; ensuring people flow is optimised and visitor safety is maintained,” he commented.
Modernisation is currently underway and is due to be completed in September 2015.
