Hines’ New HQ To Be Striking Addition To Houston Skyline

Elevator World

OTIS UK & IRELAND GETS SERVICE CONTRACT Otis UK & Ireland recently won a three-year contract to service 32 elevators at hotels in Birmingham, Merseyside, Manchester and Preston (Lancashire) in the U.K. The contract covers hotels in the Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands. “The lift engineers will use the company’s proprietary apps and Service Customer Relationship Management System to access information about the lifts’ service history onsite and order spare parts instantly, with the aim of restoring lifts to service as soon as possible,” Otis commented. “The technology also allows the engineers to work with the Otis Customer Care Centre to prioritize the most urgent calls and quickly send the nearest engineer to the site.” HINES’ NEW HQ TO BE STRIKING ADDITION TO HOUSTON SKYLINE Developer Hines and architect Pelli Clarke Pelli, the team behind Salesforce Tower in San Francisco now have their eyes on downtown Houston, where a 47-story, 1-million-sq.-ft. "next-generation" office tower is planned, the Houston Chronicle reports. To take shape on the 800 block of Texas Avenue on a site formerly occupied by the Chronicle, the tower "captures many of our best practices from around the world," according to Hines Senior Managing Director John Mooz. Those include linear "sky atriums," plenty of natural light, ground-level restaurants and other amenities, outdoor space, and areas designed to encourage interaction. Hines will be moving its headquarters from the Galleria area to the new, yet-to-be-named tower, and a major law firm has also signed on. The building is set to open in late 2021. PROJECT INCLUDING COLOMBIA’S FUTURE TALLEST PROGRESSES Atrio, a two-tower scheme by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners that will include Colombia's tallest building, is rising in Bogotá, Caracol Radio reports. The project consists of a north, 46-story, 201.6-m-tall office building currently under construction and a south, 62-story, 268-m-tall mixed-use building yet to be built. Located at 26th Street and Caracas Avenue, the design features a 30-m-tall atrium; orange, diagonal axes that provide style and seismic support; and thousands of glass panels to protect against heat. A total built area of 250,000 m2 will include residences, hotel rooms and public space. The client company is named “Group a, QBO Constructores S.A.S.,” and the elevator engineer is Arup. SRI LANKAN TOWERS DESIGNED BY GENSLER TO MAXIMIZE VIEWS U.S.-based Gensler has designed Sapphire Residences, a pair of 140- and 224-m-tall towers connected by a skybridge with a triangular design that maximizes bay views in Colombo, Sri Lanka, dezeen reports. Set for completion in 2021, the development by ITC Hotels will have hotels in the shorter tower and 132 homes in the taller one. The 54-m-long skybridge between the 19th and 20th floors will have swimming pools, sun decks, bars and lounges. Interiors will be designed by London-based Philippe Starck, and most floors will have tall ceilings and 180? water views. There will also be a helipad atop the taller tower. ADDITIONAL ESCALATORS LIFTS FOR BUSY INDIAN RAIL STATION Vijayawada Railway Junction in the southeast Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is getting an additional set of escalators at its 10 platforms, as well as an unspecified number of lifts, Financial Express reports. With more than 150 trains passing through daily, it is Indian Railways’ (IR) third-busiest station, and upgrades that include a new foot overbridge between platforms one and 10, a new bus service and the aforementioned vertical-transportation equipment promise to ease passenger flow. The source notes IR is converting 90 of its stations into "world-class, airport-like" facilities with escalators, lifts, Wi-Fi, catering kiosks, new waiting rooms and stainless-steel benches. Image: Hines: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Hines-launches-next-generation-office-tower-13083568.php#photo-15882287