The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) released an original “Tall Buildings in Numbers” (TBIN) research study entitled Vertical Transportation: Ascent & Acceleration. The study began as a collaboration with Guinness World Records to identify the commercial building with the fastest elevator speeds and longest vertical runs, which turned out to be Shanghai Tower, China. Expanding on this research, the Council determined the top buildings in each category and uncovered a number of other intriguing vertical transportation superlatives along the way.
When it comes to the tallest skyscrapers in the world, the vertical commute in the building becomes just as important as the horizontal commute through the city. Innovations in vertical transportation systems allow passengers to get to their destinations more quickly, and with less stops along the way. It is no surprise then that the world record-holder for fastest elevators also happens to be the second tallest building in the world at 632 meters.
With elevators speeds topping out at 20.5 meters per second (m/s), Shanghai Tower (Shanghai, China) narrowly surpasses CTF Finance Center (Guangzhou, China), which boasts speeds of up to 20 m/s. Meanwhile, Taipei 101 (Taipei, Taiwan) trails at 16.83 m/s, following by Landmark Tower (Yokohama, Japan) at 12.5 m/s and Two International Finance Center (Hong Kong, China) at 10.6 m/s.
Shanghai Tower also features the tallest continuous elevator run at 578.55 meters. These elevators whisk visitors all the way from the basement, to the observation deck near the top of the 632-meter building. Following closely is Ping An Finance Center (Shenzhen, China), with elevators running a continuous 573.5 meters, just meters short of the building’s 599-meter pinnacle.
Looking to the future, Saudi Arabia’s under-construction Jeddah Tower, with a projected height exceeding 1,000 meters, is poised to challenge these records. The tower will reportedly feature an elevator run of 660 meters and double-decker elevators that exceed the current record of 10 m/s for such systems.
An interactive version of this study is available online, exploring details on the collected project data. Additionally, the study is included within the 2017 Issue III of the CTBUH Journal. Purchase a copy of the journal here.
Related Stories
High-rise Construction | May 15, 2017
Construction begins on 47-story luxury tower in Chicago’s South Loop
The glass tower is being built at 1326 S. Michigan Avenue.
High-rise Construction | Apr 26, 2017
Dubai’s newest building is a giant gilded picture frame
Despite currently being under construction, the building is the center of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the architect.
3D Printing | Apr 17, 2017
The Tokyo Pod Vending Machine resembles a giant game of Tetris in the sky
The building is designed to print and dispense its own dwellings in vending machine-obsessed Tokyo.
Green | Apr 11, 2017
Passivhaus for high-rises? Research demonstrates viability of the stringent standards for tall residential buildings
A new study conducted by FXFOWLE shows that Building Teams can meet stringent Passivhaus performance standards with minimal impact to first cost and aesthetics.
Mixed-Use | Apr 5, 2017
SOM-designed ‘vertical village’ is Thailand’s largest private-sector development ever
60,000 people will live and work in One Bangkok when it is completed in 2025.
High-rise Construction | Apr 4, 2017
Fifth tallest tower in the world opens in Seoul with the world’s highest glass-bottomed observation deck
Lotte World Tower’s glass-bottomed observation deck allows visitors to stand 1,640 feet above ground and look straight down.
High-rise Construction | Mar 31, 2017
Ping An Finance Center officially becomes the fourth tallest building in the world
The completed building sits between the Makkah Royal Clock Tower at 1,972 feet and One World Trade Center at 1,776 feet.
High-rise Construction | Mar 27, 2017
Density and tall buildings
CRTKL’s Maren Striker examines Europe’s desire to build upward.
High-rise Construction | Mar 23, 2017
This speculative skyscraper would be suspended from an orbiting asteroid
Clouds Architecture, a New York-based architecture firm, has created a design to invert a skyscraper’s traditional earth-based foundation and replace it with a space-based supporting foundation from which the tower is suspended.
High-rise Construction | Mar 22, 2017
Porsche Design Tower is, unsurprisingly, a car lover’s dream
The idea behind the residential tower was to provide residents with a full single family home in the sky, complete with a private garage and pool.
