EPA Examining Energy Star Labels for Escalator and Moving Walks

Elevator World

EPA EXAMINING ENERGY STAR LABELS The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII®) recently reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has spent the past several months looking at the energy-savings potential for escalators and moving walks to determine if an ENERGY STAR certification would lead to significant energy reductions; enhanced product performance; measurable, cost-effective savings; and market differentiation that would influence product selection. The agency is looking at such escalator and moving-walk components as drives, motor efficiency controls, LED lighting, motors, transmission systems and improved capacitors. For more information, download the ENERGY STAR Escalators Discussion Guide or visit the EPA website. The agency is accepting written comments through August 10. JUNE EARTHQUAKE IDLED THOUSANDS OF ELEVATORS IN JAPAN A major earthquake that struck Osaka, Japan, on June 18 knocked out elevator service in many apartment buildings for several days, leaving a reported 339 people briefly trapped inside lifts and creating hardships for residents, The Asahi Shimbun reports. The quake measured a low six on the seven-point Japanese intensity scale, and caused significant damage in the Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara and Shiga prefectures. About 66,000 elevators — roughly half of all in the affected area — were thrown into emergency-stop mode, which prevented their use until they could be inspected. Several maintenance companies, including Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi and Fujitec, reported that it took about three days to get all the elevators back in service. RESIDENTIAL TOWER WOULD BE TALLEST IN CHICAGO AREA CRM President Chuck Malk hopes an affordable-housing component will help his proposed 40-story, 500-unit residential tower at 1520-76 North Fremont Street in the Clybourn Corridor shopping district of north Chicago win the zoning amendments it needs to move forward, Crain's reports. Also including 346 parking spots, the tower would form part of a mixed-use area CRM has developed over the decades, with Malk stating the "residential would be there to protect the retail . . . and make it more of a walking campus." The not-yet-overbuilt, rapidly changing area already has at least two high-rise residential towers, and retailers such as Whole Foods and Apple. Should it be built, the CRM proposal will be the neighborhood's tallest at 465 ft. DEVELOPER PLANS TWO PROJECTS IN SUBURBAN SYDNEY Developer Meriton has submitted applications for a pair of high-rise residential projects in suburban Sydney, The Urban Developer reports. The first is a two-tower development designed by Woods Bagot that will sit at George and Charles streets in Parramatta. The AUD229-million (US$169-million) proposal calls for 57- and 66-story towers totaling 767 residential units, 216 serviced apartments, 2,329 m2 of retail, a childcare center and a commercial gym. The second application seeks to build a 27-story residential tower at Talavera Road in Macquarie Park and represents the first stage of a proposed four-tower plan. The initial, AUD67.6-million (US$50-million) building would hold 212 apartments and include a 251-vehicle parking deck and a childcare center. If fully developed as planned, the project would include 30-, 45- and 60-story towers and a total of 1,256 residential units. MIXED-USE TOWER PLANNED IN BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA Architectural firm Odell announced in July it has been selected as primary architect consultant for the mixed-use FORZA Tower in Bogotá, Colombia. The 460-m-tall, approximately 116-story structure will be situated in the Colombian capital's central business district and house class-A office space, a five-star luxury hotel, managed apartments, retail space and a public amenity plaza. Odell, with offices in North Carolina, Virginia, Texas and China, will lead the design for the building. A construction timeline was not released. Image: EPA Subscribe: iTunes?Google Play | SoundCloud?Stitcher?TuneIn