World's Fastest Elevator

World's Fastest Elevator, Taipei 101 Taiwan

The two world's fastest elevators are now installed in the world's tallest building, the Taipei 101 office tower, in Taipei, Taiwan. The Japan Times writes that the Guinness Book of Records has certified the elevators' specifications. These elevators, built by Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp. (TELC), can move 24 passengers up at a speed of 1,010 meters per minute (about 60 km/h), or down a little bit slower at only 600 meters per minute (about 36 km/h). Going up 382 meters inside this 508-meter-high building will take you only 39 seconds using these elevators. And don't worry about 'ear popping': these elevators include new technologies, such as a pressure control system.

Read more about these elevators: (1), (2)

Construction of Taipei 101 started in June 1999 and the grand opening will be celebrated on December 31, 2004. TELC has installed 61 elevators and 50 escalators in Taipei 101, including two elevators that run at 1,010 meters per minute (60.6 kilometers per hour), the world's fastest, and 34 double-deck elevators.

Of course, these elevators, which exceeded the previous speed record by an impressive 33%, are filled with new technology.

• The world's first pressure control system, which adjusts the atmospheric pressure inside a car by using suction and discharge blowers, preventing those riding inside the car experiencing 'ear popping'.
• An active control system which cancels vibrations by moving the counter mass in the opposite direction based on the vibration data from a sensor installed in the car.
• Optimization in the configuration of the streamlined car to reduce the whistling noise produced by a car running at a high speed inside a narrow hoist-way.

Elevators in the Eiffel Tower, Paris

This is a photograph of the special, custom-built elevators (lifts) that carry visitors to and from the first and second levels of the Eiffel Tower. Source: The elevators are constructed to move upwards and downwards at two different angles in order to match the angles of the Tower’s legs (the angle beneath the first level of the tower is slightly different from the angle above the first level).

There are elevators in all four legs of the tower. Three of the legs have elevators that carry ordinary visitors; the fourth leg (the southern pillar) has a tiny, private elevator that takes people directly to and from the fancy Jules Verne restaurant on the second level of the tower. The elevators are not exactly identical in each leg, but they are all large, double-decked elevators. On any given day, from one to three elevators will be in operation, depending on the number of visitors. The elevator you see here are in the eastern pillar of the tower.

If you look closely, you can see people standing in the elevator. Most of the walls of the elevator have large windows so that you can see out and downwards. The movement of the elevator and the angle of its travel, along with the thin structure of the tower, can induce vertigo in persons who are sensitive to heights or afraid of heights, so beware!

In this pillar, there is also a stairway. You can take the stairways to or from the first or second levels of the tower; the summit can only be reached by elevator. You need to be in good shape and not afraid of heights to take the stairs.

BMS & BAS

Building Management System

Building Management System (BMS) is a high technology system installed on buildings that controls and monitors the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment such as air handling and cooling plant systems, lighting, power systems, fire systems, and security systems. A BMS consists of software and hardware. The software program, usually configured in a hierarchical manner, can be proprietary using such protocols as C-bus, Profibus, etc. Recently however new vendors are producing BMSs that integrate using Internet protocols and open standards like SOAP, XML, BacNet, Lon and Modbus.

For example in an Organization BMS comprises of 'Access Control' (which controls the employees restricted movability in the Organization), CCTV facilities, etc.

Building Automation System

A Building Automation System (BAS) is an example of a Distributed control system. Building automation describes the functionality provided by the control system. The control system is a computerized, intelligent network of electronic devices, designed to monitor and control the mechanical and lighting systems in a building.

BAS core functionality keeps the building climate within a specified range, provides lighting based on an occupancy schedule, and monitors system performance and device failures and provides email and/or text notifications to building engineering staff. The BAS functionality reduces building energy and maintenance costs when compared to a non-controlled building. A building controlled by a BAS is often referred to as an intelligent building.

Twisted Pair Cable

Twisted pair cabling is a form of wiring in which two conductors are wound together for the purposes of canceling out electromagnetic interference (EMI) from external sources; for instance, electromagnetic radiation from unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables, and crosstalk between neighboring pairs.

Twisting wires decreases interference because the loop area between the wires (which determines the magnetic coupling into the signal) is reduced. In balanced pair operation, the two wires typically carry equal and opposite signals (differential mode) which are combined by addition at the destination. The common-mode noise from the two wires (mostly) cancel each other in this addition because the two wires have similar amounts of EMI that are 180 degrees out of phase. This results in the same effect as subtraction. Differential mode also reduces electromagnetic radiation from the cable, along with the attenuation that it causes.

The twist rate (also called pitch of the twist, usually defined in twists per meter) makes up part of the specification for a given type of cable. Where pairs are not twisted, one member of the pair may be closer to the source than the other, and thus exposed to slightly different induced electromotive force (EMF).

Where twist rates are equal, the same conductors of different pairs may repeatedly lie next to each other, partially undoing the benefits of differential mode. For this reason it is commonly specified that, at least for cables containing small numbers of pairs, the twist rates must differ.

In contrast to FTP (foiled twisted pair) and STP (shielded twisted pair) cabling, UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cable is not surrounded by any shielding. It is the primary wire type for telephone usage and is very common for computer networking, especially as patch cables or temporary network connections due to the high flexibility of the cables.

Fire Rated Door

A fire door is a type of door, or closure used as a passive fire protection item within buildings to prevent the spread of fire. It is usually the only means of allowing people to pass through a fire-resistance rated wall assembly.

Components

• Fire doors are made of a combination of materials, such as:
• Steel
• gypsum (as an endothermic fill)
• Vermiculite-boards

Together, these components form a system which holds the rating.

Apart from the door leaf, there is the doorframe, the door hardware and the structure that holds the fire door assembly in place.

Door Hardware

Door hardware includes, but is not limited to:

• manual or automatic closing devices
• locks
• latches
• hinges

Seals

Edges of a fire door usually need to have fire rated seals which can be composed of:

• An intumescent strip, which expands when exposed to heat
• Neoprene weatherstripping

*intumescent = Materials that expand in volume when exposed to heat or flames exceeding a specified temperature.

Fire Alarm Control Panel

A fire alarm control panel, also referred to as a fire alarm panel or FACP, normally referred to as a panel within the active fire protection industry, is a central control device for detecting, reporting and acting on occurrences of fires within a building. There are two types of panels: conventional panels, and analogue addressable panels.

In a conventional panel, fire detection devices including, but not limited to smoke detectors, flame detectors, heat detectors and manual call points or manual pull stations joined up with a number connected to each circuit. When a device on the circuit is activated, the panel recognizes an alarm on that circuit and could be set up to take a number of actions including directly calling the fire department via an alarm transportation system (ATS).

Conventional Panel

Conventional panels have been around ever since electronics became small enough to make them viable. They are no longer used frequently in large buildings, but are still used on smaller sites such as small schools or apartments.

Conventional panels usually have a small number of circuits, each circuit covering a zone within the building. A small map of the building is often placed near the main entrance with the defined zones drawn up, and LEDs indicating whether a particular circuit/zone has been activated. Another common method is to have the different zones listed in a column, with an LED to the left of each zone name.

The main drawback with conventional panels is that one cannot tell which device has been activated within a circuit. The fire may be in one small room, but as far as emergency responders can tell, a fire could exist anywhere within a zone.

Loops

Panels usually have a number of loops within the range of two to 20 loops. At the present time, four or six loop panels are the most common.

Each loop can have a number of devices connected to it. Each device has its own address, and so the panel knows the state of each individual device connected to it. Common addressable input (initiating) devices include

• Smoke detectors
• Manual Call Points or Manual pull Stations
• Responders
• Fire Sprinkler inputs
• Switches
  • Flow control
  • Pressure
  • Isolate
  • Standard switches

Addressable output devices are known as relays and include

• (Warning System/Bell) Relays
• Door Holder Relays
• Auxiliary (Control Function) Relays

Relays are used to control a variety of functions such as

• Switching fans on or off
• Closing/opening doors
• Activating Fire Suppression Systems
• Activating notification appliances
• Shutting down industrial equipment

Since their inception, loops have generally been able to handle 99 devices. More recently however, new protocols have been designed that allow 256 devices on each loop.

Mapping

Also known as "Cause and Effect" or "Programming", mapping is the process of activating outputs depending on which inputs have been activated. Traditionally, when an input device is activated, a certain output device (or relay) is activated. As time has progressed, more and more advanced techniques have become available, often with large variations in style between different companies.

Climbing formwork

Climbing formwork is a special type of formwork for concrete structures that rises with the building process. Best known in the construction of towers, skyscrapers and other tall vertical structures, it allows the reuse of the same formwork over and over for identical (or very similar) sections / stories further up the structure.

The climbing formwork structure normally does not only contain the formwork itself, but also usually provides working space /scaffolds for construction crews. It may also provide areas for machinery and screens for weather protection.

Types of Climbing Formwork

• Climbing formwork (crane-climbing) - in this type of climbing formwork, the formwork around the structure is displaced upwards with the help of one or more cranes.

• once the hardening of the concrete has proceeded far enough. This may entail lifting the whole section, or be achieved segmentally.
  

• Climbing formwork (self-climbing) - In this type of formwork, the structure elevates itself with the help of mechanic leverage equipment (usually hydraulic). To do this, it is usually fixed to sacrificial cones or rails emplaced in the previously cast concrete.

• Gliding formwork - This type of formwork is similar to the self-climbing type above. However, the climbing process is continuous instead of intermittent, and is usually only broken for a short time (for example to fix the mounting mechanisms to new anchoring points). The advantage is that it will produce seamless structures, but it requires a continuous, uninterrupted process throughout.

Digger & Bulldozer

Construction Site

Wheeled Loader

Tracked Loader