KONE Corporation, press release, June 5, 2014
Jeddah Economic Co - the owner and developer of the World's Tallest Tower - Kingdom Tower and Kingdom City - in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, chaired by HRH Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal Al Saud, Chairman of Kingdom Holding Co, has selected KONE as the vertical transportation provider to deliver the world's fastest and highest double-decker elevators to Kingdom Tower.
Kingdom Tower, which is being built by Saudi Bin Laden Group, is expected to rise to the height of more than one kilometer upon completion in 2018. Featuring KONE's people flow solutions, the building will have the world's fastest double deck elevators with travel speed of over 10 m/s as well as the world's highest elevator rise at 660 meters. Kingdom Tower will house offices, a Four Seasons hotel and serviced apartments, residential apartments as well as the world's tallest observation spot.
The building will be equipped with altogether 65 KONE elevators and escalators. The order includes KONE Double Deck MiniSpace(TM) elevators with revolutionary KONE UltraRope(TM) hoisting technology. KONE UltraRope is a new high-rise elevator technology that is set to break industry limits and enable future elevator travel heights of 1 kilometer - twice the distance currently feasible. The KONE UltraRope technology eliminates the disadvantages of conventional steel rope and opens up a world of possibilities in high-rise building design.
The KONE equipment in Kingdom Tower will include 21 KONE MonoSpace® elevators, 29 KONE MiniSpace elevators, seven KONE DoubleDeck MiniSpace elevators and eight KONE TravelMaster 110 escalators. To complement the building's exclusive look, KONE will provide the customer with tailor-designed car interiors and landing doors as well as latest People Flow Intelligence solutions including KONE Destination Control Systems and premium KONE Infoscreen displays. Other special solutions include KONE E-Link(TM) remote monitoring systems, as well as an occupant evacuation operation system for emergency situations. The order includes a ten-year equipment maintenance contract.
"We have been highly impressed with KONE's innovative solutions to high-rise buildings. This is another cornerstone for a development of this magnitude and we look forward to creating this landmark building in all standards," says Mr Mounib Hammoud, CEO of Jeddah Economic Company.
"Close cooperation between all project partners, and with KONE Areeco team locally, our technical professionalism and people flow planning expertise was a winning combination in helping us land the order," comments Noud Veeger, Executive Vice President for KONE in Asia Pacific and Middle East. "We hail this project with great excitement," he adds.
Kingdom Tower is the centerpiece and first construction phase of the Kingdom City development, located along the Red Sea on the north side of Jeddah. Encompassing a construction area of 530,000m2, Kingdom Tower is designed by architect Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture and the construction of the building has been commissioned to Saudi Bin Laden Group. Dar Al Handasa is the project's construction supervisor, while E.C. Harris / Mace JV is managing the project.
KONE Areeco is KONE's Saudi Arabian joint venture company with KONE holding 50% of the shares. KONE Areeco has several flagship projects in Saudi Arabia, such as the successfully completed Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel in Mecca, as well as ongoing projects such as the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, and the King Abdulaziz International Airport and the Headquarters Business Park in Jeddah.
The order was booked in the second quarter of 2014.
Previous press releases on KONE's orders are available at www.kone.com/press including:
- October 1, 2013: First KONE UltraRope installed at Marina Bay Sands
- June 10, 2013: New KONE UltraRope elevator hoisting technology enables the next big leap in high-rise building design
For further information, please contact:
Liisa Kivelä, Director, External Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 204 75 4330. media@kone.com
Visit the KONE UltraRope site at www.kone.com/ultrarope
About KONE
KONE is one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry. KONE's objective is to offer the best People Flow® experience by developing and delivering solutions that enable people to move smoothly, safely, comfortably and without waiting in buildings in an increasingly urbanizing environment. KONE provides industry-leading elevators, escalators, automatic building doors and integrated solutions to enhance the People Flow in and between buildings. KONE's services cover the entire lifetime of a building, from the design phase to maintenance, repairs and modernization solutions. In 2013, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 6.9 billion, and at the end of the year over 43,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd in Finland.