Chinese Skyscraper To Have World’s Fastest Elevators

The 111-story Guangzhou CTF Financial Center tower is under construction in Southern China. The building will feature the world’s fastest elevators when it opens in 2016. It will take just 43 seconds in the elevator to reach the 95^th floor of the tower, and riders’ ears will not pop along the way.

The two elevators inside the 1,740-foot office building will reach speeds up to 45 miles per hour (3,937 feet per minute average speed). The Hitachi designed elevators will beat the previous record held by Taiwan’s Taipei 101 by 5.5 miles per hour. The elevators in the Tapei 101 have an average speed 3,313 feet per minute and the Burj Khalifa’s elevators can move at 1,968 feet per minute. While the elevators will be the fastest in the world, Hitachi has made sure they will also be comfortable and safe for riders. The air pressure inside the cars will be artificially changed to ensure that rider’s ears will not pop. Dr Gina Barney, an expert in lift technology, said protecting passengers from discomfort was a big challenge for high-speed lifts.  "When you're travelling that distance, you're going to get pressures on your ears changing," she told the BBC. She said this can lead riders to suffer some pain.

Hitachi will use guided rollers that can adapt to warping from high wind pressure. These rollers will allow the ride to remain smooth throughout the journey. The elevators’ breaks will also be able to resist extreme heat in the event of a malfunction. The high speeds are achieved in part due to the lightweight lifting equipment used. Hitachi operates the world’s tallest elevator research building to develop their new technologies. Only two of the CTF Financial Center’s 95 elevators will be able to travel at the record setting speeds.