Multi – described as the world’s first rope-less horizontal-vertical elevator system – has been unveiled at a 246m-tall test tower in Rottweil, Germany. The launch of the first first fully functional unit of the new system comes more than 160 years after the invention of the conventional elevator.
Instead of one cabin per shaft moving up and down, the Multi offers multiple cabins operating in loop, like a metro system inside a building. Without the use of cables, Multi runs on a multi-level brake system with wireless data and energy management on the cars.
Antony Wood, executive director of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, said: “This is perhaps the biggest development in the elevator industry since the invention of the safety elevator some 165 years ago. The ‘holy grail’ for elevators has been to move beyond being pulled vertically by a rope under tension – towards a system that allows movement in inclined or horizontal directions. Multi, more than any other product delivered to date, really shows the way forward for that potential. This has the capacity to transform the industry at large, changing the way tall buildings are designed, and allowing for much more efficient core designs, as well as better connectivity in buildings.”
OVG Real Estate is the first customer, partnering with Thyssenkrupp to install the first Multi system in the new East Side Tower building in Berlin.
Multi requires fewer and smaller shafts than conventional elevators and can increase the building’s usable area by up to 25%, said the company, representing extra revenues from the additional space. It pointed out that current elevator-escalator footprints can occupy up to 40% of a high-rise building’s floor space, depending on the building height.
Thyssenkrupp said that Multi can achieve up to 50% higher transport capacity and reduce peak power demand by as much as 60% when compared to conventional elevator systems. The company added that Multi enables unprecedented possibilities in the architecture and design of buildings as it can move sideways as well as vertically and without any height limitations.
Thyssenkrupp Elevator CEO Andreas Schierenbeck said: “We believe Multi is a genuine game-changer that will truly transform the way people move, work and live in our built environment. It will reduce waiting times for passengers and take up significantly less space within the building. Multi is a key offering that truly represents a landmark revolution in the elevator industry.”
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