Upgraded Schindler Climb Lift goes to work on marquee high-rise projects

Dubai development, The S. Photo: Schindler

Schindler’s newly upgraded Climb Lift system will be used on two high-rise projects for the first time, signalling its entry into the European and Middle East access equipment markets. The self-climbing vertical transportation system’s latest design option enables integrating the lifting platform and crash deck with the building’s formwork, allowing it to climb more seamlessly with the building structure. Compatibility of the Climb Lift was also recently extended to Schindler’s 5500 model permanent elevator for applications of 490 feet (150 meters) and less.

Climb Lift was recently procured for use on two separate contracts: the 800-foot (245 meter) Elbtower in Hamburg, Germany, and for the 755-foot (230-meter) signature tower in Dubai’s development, The S, in the United Arab Emerites.

The new lift can be installed inside a high-rise construction’s standard elevator shaft. Capable of transporting materials and personnel at up to nearly 10 feet (3 metres) per second, its average hourly payload capacity is 53 tons (48,000 kilograms) or passenger count of 600.

Using the internal elevator shaft reduces “exposure to external weather conditions that would otherwise restrict or complicate construction operations that use an external hoist system.”

According to the manufacturer, using the internal elevator shaft allows the building’s façade to be closed earlier, improving the potential to lease or sell building space sooner.

Schindler says these factors, along with savings from shorter build times and reduced manpower, can help to reduce cost of building typical high-rises by up to 5%.

While construction of the Elbtower will not see the platform installed until mid-2023, the building will eventually host 14 Schindler 7000 and 24 Schindler 5500 elevators when it opens in 2025. Designed by David Chipperfield Associates for Signa Real Estate, the development will be practically carbon neutral thanks to its smart energy concept with much of the required heating retrieved from waste sources.

Similarly, the 60-story tower in Dubai will eventually incorporate 11 Schindler 7000 SD and three Schindler 5500 elevators when it is completed in late 2024, with the first Climb Lift to be installed in November 2022. The $400 million Dubai development is being built by Sobha Realty and its in-house design firm, PNC Architects.

“The Schindler Climb Lift has now been installed more than 170 times since it was introduced over 20 years ago, and customer enthusiasm for it is still growing – and spreading to new territories,” said Stefan Weber, head of large projects operations at Schindler.

“Whether it’s an advantage as simple as avoiding the need for workers to queue outside in harsh weather conditions at the start of their shift, or as profitable as incorporating permanent elevator components from the very beginning to speed up the final installation, the Schindler Climb Lift offers a host of benefits that can help streamline any high-rise project.”

The latest option for Schindler’s Climb Lift integrates the lifting platform and crash deck with the building’s formwork to climb more seamlessly with the building structure. Graphic: Schindler