Hitachi to supply ultra-high-speed elevators for Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, China

Japan-based Hitachi and Hitachi Elevator (China) will supply ultra-high-speed elevators to the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre in China.

Hitachi claims that the elevators will be the world’s fastest with speeds of up to 1,200m a minute.

The elevators will be equipped with drive and control technologies, which will allow them to attain high speeds and also ensure safe elevator operations and a comfortable ride for passengers.

They will have technology designed to prevent lateral vibration, a governor that activates braking systems and emergency stop devices upon detecting excessive speed, and effective braking equipment.

For added comfort, the lifts will be equipped with Hitachi’s proprietary air pressure adjustment technology that reduces ear blockage caused by air pressure differences during high-speed movement.

At Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, the elevators will travel the 440m shaft height from ground to 95th floor in around 43 seconds.

Hitachi will deploy 95 elevators at the, including two ultra-high-speed elevators with speeds of 1,200m a minute, 13 elevators with speeds of between 210m and 600m a minute, 28 double-decker elevators and 52 medium and low-speed elevators.

The 111-floor Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is a mixed-use skyscraper that houses offices, hotels and residential spaces.

The 530m tall skyscraper is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in 2016.

In 2010, Hitachi developed a 213m elevator research tower, G1TOWER, where it carries out field trials for high-speed and large-capacity elevators.

Hitachi is planning to develop elevators with additional features to support the construction of even taller buildings.