The Shanghai Tower is already known around the world for currently being the tallest twisting tower in the world and the second tallest building in the world overall. Now, it also has the distinction of adding three newly awarded Guinness World Records to its resume. Shanghai Tower officially has the world’s fastest elevator, the tallest elevator in a building, and the fastest double-deck elevator.
Shanghai Tower’s elevators were designed by Mitsubishi Electric and just barely outpaced elevators designed by Hitachi in the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, which can reach speeds of 20 meters per second, or 44.7 mph.
The fastest elevator in Shanghai Tower can reach speeds of 20.5 meters per second, or 45.8 mph. However, in order to achieve these speeds, a Mitsubishi technician needs to be on hand to press the proverbial red button and send the elevator into hyperdrive. Without the technician, what most people experience in Shanghai Tower is an elevator ride that only reaches 40 mph.
While elevators may be able to continue to reach higher and higher speeds, at least one elevator engineer believes a speed of about 24 meters per second, or 53.6 mph, is the limit. According to CNN, this is because the people in an elevator traveling faster than 24 meters per second would not have time to adjust to the air pressure on the top floor. The entire building would need to be pressurized like an airplane to be able to achieve higher speeds.
For now, Shanghai Tower’s 45.8 mph represents the pinnacle of elevator speed, though, with the sheer volume of supertall buildings being constructed around the world, don’t be surprised if that record is soon broken.
Related Stories
High-rise Construction | Jan 4, 2016
Top tall building predictions for 2016
Jetpack-based firefighting, pixelated towers, and high-rise rentals are among the innovations and themes coming to the tall buildings market in 2016, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
High-rise Construction | Jan 4, 2016
Amid high-rise office building boom, Boston grapples with corporate signage rules
City has few skyscrapers adorned with lit company names, logos.
High-rise Construction | Dec 18, 2015
Architect Mark Foster Gage proposes wildly ornate Gothic skyscraper for NYC
The 102-story tower, 41 West 57th Street, will have glass walls, balconies, and a carved stone façade.
High-rise Construction | Dec 8, 2015
Architect Eric Parry unveils design for London’s tallest building
At more than 1,000 feet, 1 Undershaft will rival The Shard in height.
High-rise Construction | Dec 8, 2015
Saudi Arabia secures funding for world’s first kilometer-tall skyscraper: Jeddah Tower
The tower will overtake the Burj Khalifa in terms of height, but how long will it remain king?
High-rise Construction | Nov 28, 2015
Anorexic skyscrapers keep popping up in Manhattan
One project slated to begin construction next spring is designed to be only 47 feet wide.
High-rise Construction | Nov 23, 2015
London approves designs for a 62-story tower
Scheduled to start construction next year and open in 2019, the structure will be London’s second tallest, after the 95-story Shard.
High-rise Construction | Nov 17, 2015
CTBUH awards '2015 Best Tall Building Worldwide' to Bosco Verticale
Designed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri, the building design was applauded for its “extraordinary implementation of vegetation at such scale and height."
High-rise Construction | Nov 12, 2015
SHoP unveils Brooklyn supertall tower design
When completed, the 90-story tower will be the tallest building in the outer boroughs of New York City.
High-rise Construction | Oct 26, 2015
Recent skyscraper boom benefits New York construction industry
CTBUH reports that luxury residential construction, slenderness aspect ratios, and construction in "fringe" areas have all increased.
