KONE Ranked by Forbes as One of World's Best Employers

Elevator World

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: http://www.elevatorbooks.com 3 HUDSON YARDS GETS DESIGN TWEAK, MOVES FORWARD IN NYC 3 Hudson Yards in New York City (NYC) has been redesigned to "better align with today's office tenants" with more square footage, allowing for bigger floorplates, the New York Post reports. Designed by FXFOWLE and developed by Joe Moinian, the structure went from 1.8 million to 2 million sq. ft. and is shorter, going from 66 to 53 stories, or 1,050 and 940 ft. tall, respectively. Its location across from the low-rise Javits Center at the northeast corner of West 34th Street and 11th Avenue will provide for unobstructed, 360? views. JLL guided the redesign and is trying to land an anchor tenant. A formal groundbreaking was held on November 3. SOM-DESIGNED TOWER FOR LONDON TALL-BUILDING HOTSPOT Investor London & Oriental wants to build a 56-story office tower designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) in London's bustling eastern skyscraper cluster, close to iconic buildings such as the Leadenhall Building and 30 St. Mary Axe (the Gherkin), The Architects’ Journal reports. Expected to house an insurance firm, 100 Leadenhall Street would replace 100, 106 and 107 Leadenhall Street. With a design that tapers as it rises to provide unobstructed views of St. Patrick's Cathedral, it would sit next to the proposed 73-story 1 Undershaft. Construction is not expected to begin until at least 2020, due to existing leases. KONE RANKED BY FORBES AS ONE OF WORLD’S BEST EMPLOYERS Finnish elevator/escalator company KONE announced it has been ranked 73rd in Forbes’ Global 2000: World’s Best Employers List, which analyzed more than 360,000 employee recommendations to create a list of 500 companies. Stating it is proud of the recognition, KONE Executive Vice President for Human Resources Susanne Skippari said the listing “shows that our continued commitment to our employees’ well-being and professional development is appreciated by both current and potential employees.” Other industry companies that made the list include Mitsubishi Electric (79th) and thyssenkrupp (265th). HOME LIFTS GAIN WIDER APPEAL IN SYDNEY Home lifts have surged in popularity in Sydney, with what was once reserved for pricey mansions now being standard for average homes, Domain Group reports. Michael Heltborg, National Business Development manager at Easy Living Home Elevators, states sales at his company have grown from 50 to 60 lifts per year when he started 14 years ago to more than 600 per year today. He describes demand as “massive.” Customers are not just having lifts incorporated into original blueprints, the source says, but also retrofitting existing homes with elevators so residents can remain in their homes as they age.