KONE wins UltraRope order for Karlatornet, set to become the tallest building in the Nordics

KONE Corporation, press release, January 30, 2018

KONE Corporation, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has won an order to equip an up-scale residential and hotel development in Gothenburg, Sweden. Rising to a height of 245 meters, Karlatornet is set to become the tallest building in the Nordic region. Residents of its 590 apartments will have access to a gym, a swimming pool and amenities such as meal delivery, and laundry and house cleaning services. In addition to the residential apartments, Karlatornet will boast a 300-room hotel, a conference facility, restaurant, spa and observation deck.  

To ensure smooth people flow within this landmark building, KONE will equip the hotel with nine KONE MonoSpace® elevators. The residential tower will include five KONE MiniSpace(TM) elevators hoisted using the innovative KONE UltraRope® technology, which reduces energy consumption and maximizes ride comfort. The KONE destination control system will optimize traffic flows within the building.

The deal also includes the use of KONE JumpLift(TM) construction-time elevator technology. The KONE JumpLift uses the same shafts as the passenger elevators that will be installed in the building at a later phase.

"This is a unique project. We wanted the elevator solutions to be at least as innovative and exceptional," says Adam Adielsson, project manager at Serneke Bygg AB. "When KONE presented the KONE UltraRope, destination control system and intelligent elevators, we became very enthusiastic and felt that this would fit perfectly with the profile we want for Karlatornet. And that KONE can also offer the JumpLift solution that can save time during the construction phase made them an obvious partner for us."

Karlatornet is expected to be completed in 2021. The passenger elevators at Karlatornet will run at speeds of 8 meters/second and 6 meters/second, meaning quick travel between floors for the approximately 3,000 people anticipated to be using the equipment on a daily basis.

"We are very excited about this development, which offers future tenants a completely new way of living. KONE UltraRope brings benefits to the building owner and future residents by providing superior reliability. The JumpLift technology, in turn, improves site safety and reduces construction time as the elevators can travel at a higher speed than conventional construction-time elevators erected on the outside of a building," says Thomas Hinnerskov, KONE's executive vice president for Central and North Europe.

The developer is Karlastaden Utveckling AB and the main contractor is Serneke Bygg AB. The building was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

The order was booked in the first quarter of 2018.

For further information, please contact: 
Liisa Kivelä, Director, Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 204 75 4330. media@kone.com

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KONE UltraRope®
KONE Jumplift(TM) construction-time elevator 

Previous press releases are available at www.kone.com/press including: 

October 23, 2017: KONE to equip Melbourne's premium grade office building in Australia with UltraRope
June 29, 2017: KONE to equip the tallest residential tower in Sydney, Australia
September 2, 2016: KONE to modernize and maintain escalators at Stockholm metro in Sweden
December 1, 2015: KONE to deliver elevators to Finland's tallest development in Helsinki

About KONE 
At KONE, our mission is to improve the flow of urban life. As a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, KONE provides elevators, escalators and automatic building doors, as well as solutions for maintenance and modernization to add value to buildings throughout their life cycle. Through more effective People Flow®, we make people's journeys safe, convenient and reliable, in taller, smarter buildings. In 2017, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 8.9 billion, and at the end of the year over 55,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
www.kone.com