Figure 7 :. Left is a photograph of the Otis elevator introduced in 1856 . It is currently housed in the Gardner ’ s Warehouse in Glasgow , Scotland . Right is a photograph of a Mitsubishi elevator installed in the recently completed Shanghai Tower in Shanghai , China . Otis elevator ran at a speed of about 0.2 m / s , while Mitsubishi runs at a speed of 18 m / s . Hitachi is installing new elevators in the CTF Finance Center in China , with a speed of 20 m / s , to be completed in 2016 . As such , in about one and a half century , the elevator ’ s speed was increased about 100 times-testifying impressive technological advancement . ( Source : Left , Wikimedia , attribution : Zeddy ; Right , mitsubishielevator . com ).
Massive urbanisation also places a huge demand on the environment , and there will continue to be pressure to incorporate “ green ” elevators . Of course , there is an upfront cost to energy-efficient elevators , and the recoupment period varies . Unfortunately , most of the “ green ” features for elevators are not entitled to Governmental incentives , grants , or discounts . Many Energy Research and Development Authority programmes in the United States that offer environmental upgrades continue to be in flux concerning elevator green features . Elevator manufacturers are becoming gradually involved as a valuable resource to Leadership in Energy and Enviornmental Design ( LEED ) registered projects . In-depth knowledge of the LEED process is needed to ensure that the elevators used in a project can obtain the deserved points for LEED certification .
Although “ green ” elevators are mostly not entitled to financial incentives , green elevators are relatively “ affordable ” when compared to the total costs of skyscrapers . For example , the total cost of elevators in the One World Trade Center was only 2 % of the total cost of the tower ( USD88 million for elevators ; USD3.9 billion for the tower ). Similarly , the total cost of elevators in Burj Khalifa was about 3 % of the total cost of the tower ( USD50 million for elevators ; USD1.5 billion for the tower ). As such , building owners and developers should not be discouraged from implementing “ green ” and state-of-the-art elevators [ 17 ].
Skyscrapers are built to last longer than regular buildings , and therefore , “ green ” investments could be worthwhile . As explained earlier , the 85-year-old Empire State Building ( ESB ) underwent a major “ green ” retrofit that will extend its lifetime for several decades . As such , although the ESB was built with “ lower-end ” materials and technologies , its lifetime will now stretch to over one century . How about the new
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