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Three glass-fronted elevators take visitors up to the seven
public floors located between levels 50 and 60. A fourth
elevator serves a dual purpose as the building’s service
elevator and shuttle service between the observation decks.
Because the critical fourth lift, which has the longest
travel in the building at 229 meters, doubles as a service
elevator to the entire structure, Sky Tower visitors had to
wait longer than ideal to transfer between the observation
decks. This was a challenge for a business that relies
heavily on its elevators to move people efficiently.
“As an extremely busy, iconic tourist destination in New
Zealand, it’s critical that visitors are able to use all of our
facilities,” says
Arron Money
, Executive Manager Capital
Development & Facilities at SKYCITY. “We wanted to
partner with an escalator and elevator provider that really
met our business needs and that complements our values
in terms of modern technology, energy efficiency and a
world-class experience. It was a really easy decision for us
to partner with KONE on this project.”
Finding the right solutions
Once it was awarded the modernization project, KONE
swung into action and modernized the Sky Tower’s
three passenger lifts with conventional ropes. The fourth
service elevator was initially going to be modernized with
conventional ropes as well; however, KONE’s innovative
UltraRope technology was released right at the
opportune moment to be included in the service elevator
modernization.
KONE UltraRope is a new and innovative hoisting
technology, made of a lightweight carbon fiber core,
which reduces elevator moving masses, cuts energy
consumption and reduces the effects of building sway.
With these benefits, the modernized elevator was able
to shed over 3,600kg of rope weight compared with
conventional steel cables, and the Sky Tower elevator
could now be used in higher wind conditions than in the
past. The newly installed KONE EcoDisc hoisting machine
was also over 5,000kg lighter than the previous hoisting
machine.
Greener, safer and more reliable
As part of the modernization, Sky Tower’s service elevator
speed also increased from 3.5 to 5m/s. But speed was
not the only concern. SKYCITY has a strong focus on
energy efficiency and reducing its energy consumption
where possible. As a direct outcome of the entire project,
the modernization has enabled energy savings of more
than 20%.
Thanks to 365-day opening, adventure activities like ‘SkyJump’ and ‘SkyWalk,’ a dining area that rotates 360 degrees
and a premium restaurant by esteemed New Zealand celebrity chef Peter Gordon, demand for access to the Sky Tower
has been steadily growing over the past few years.