If memory serves, the 2 longest elevator rides I’ve ever taken are 35 floors and 54 floors. What I do remember for sure is that both of them made me feel pretty damn barfy. So it’s with that in mind that I must declare news of Hitachi’s new express skyscraper elevator for the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre to be pretty friggin terrifying.
The Guangzhou uber-elevator will travel the 440m (1,443ft) metre shaft height from the ground floor to the 95th in approximately 43 seconds, says Hitachi. The lifts have a theoretical top speed of 1,200 metres per minute (72kmph or 45mph, marginally less than that of this scribe’s winsome, yet sluggish, Toyota Aygo).
The elevators will employ a specially developed permanent magnet synchronous motor that “achieves both a thin profile and the high output needed to attain” high speeds. Hitachi plans to install active guide rollers that will detect and react to minute warping in the guide rails and vibration due to wind pressure, in the corners of the lift car, to make the whole thing less of a stomach-churning experience.
Safety features will ensure soft braking when it stops on the various floors, while pressure adjustment will help to stop travellers’ ears from popping as they speed up the building.
Wait…no air sickness bags?
If you’re wondering how high up 1,443 feet is, it works out to be 95 floors. That’s…high.
Frightened though I am, the part of me that loved roller coasters until they suddenly started making my headaches flair up ridiculously about the time I hit my late teens or early 20’s really wants to try it out.
How high is the CN Tower? Have you never been up there?
Wikipedia says it’s taller than that thing and that it has 147 floors. But even so, you’re not going up it quite that fast.
And no, I’ve never been up there…at least not unless I was an babby and don’t remember it. Highest thing I’ve ever been up was that restaurant in the TD Tower after your brother’s city hall wedding.
ah ok. I guess I assumed anybody who was a kid anywhere near that thing was dragged up it. Now all I can think about is Matt’s post. Ooo! It’s a big pole! Wow! It’s high up here!
Ahh yes, a true classic.
You’d think I’d have been up there at least once given the number of times I’ve been in the neighbourhood, but no. I think you were though, right?
Yup I think I’ve been up at least 3 times….Twice with SCORE Camp…everybody, don’t get any stupid ideas about SCORE Camp. And I think I went up with my folks once when I was much smaller.
Remind me what SCORE stands for. It was something like Summer Computer Opportunities…and then I go blank.
in recreation and education. And there was some Gretzky help there too. So they were like ooo score! like hocky puck score! ooo we’re funny! Hehehe. sorta.
Ahh ok. That makes sense.
I remember a few years I got the info packet for SCORE in the mail, but for some reason or other I never went.
probably because a few of those years it would have meant going back to W. Ross…and who would want to do that? And one of those summers you were across the pond likely when it was SCORE time. But I guess after 95 it was in Toronto…so I guess you would have only gotten one Brantfordian letter.
Yup. In 94 I was in Europe for a month, 95 I went to Lake Joe on the same week my family moved so that was kinda nuts, and in general my SCORE eligible years were some strange and hard times.