TWIN^® system in use

TWIN^®  carried out in Stuttgart, Germany

Project description

Two lifts in one shaft are running perfectly and completely independently in the School of Architecture at the University of Stuttgart since January 2003. This modernization project had to be carried out, because the lift system could no longer support the hustle and bustle in the building. Originally the building had been designed for about 800 to 900 students in the 1960s,but now there are about 2000 persons daily in the building. The building had been planned from 1956 to 1960 by architects Gutbier, Siegel and Wilhelm. There was no possibility for an additional lift installation. The modernization work was carried out with the architects Heinle, Wischer and Partner in Stuttgart.

The ThyssenKrupp TWIN^®

The ThyssenKrupp TWIN^® system was developed by Dr.Günter Reuter under the direction of Dr.Gerhard Thumm. The first of installation this new elevator system took place at the school of Architecture in Stuttgart. The building is a listed example of a concrete development. The tower block is an ideal site to demonstrate the qualities of the new system both in terms of a modernization package and as an important element in making the best of available floor space in ay new, mid-to high-rise development. In this case, it is important to remember that the building was originally designed for up to 800 architectural students and now has 2000 students, so the need to add more capacity to the elevator system was clear. The building is preservation listed. Therefore, no internal shafts could be built or external structures added, so a radical solution was sought by the university's modernization design team and architects Heinle, Wischer and Partner.

An overview of the installation

Installation was completed at the end of January 2003. This elevator group is linearly aligned in the number two shaft of the original six-car group. The lift lobbies and internal spaces have kept the integrity of the 1960s design. The required keeping many of the original features, including the now weathered and distressed concrete walls. The shape of the car call stations was a case in point, where the housings and mountings were supplied by the client and screens and electronics by ThyssenKrupp Elevator. The new TWIN^® system is in shaft two, which now contains car 2 and car 7. The two lifts and all their components, both in the machine room and shaft, are color coded to avoid any risk of confusion during maintenance inspection. The system cannot be used as stand-alone installations and must be used with ThyssenKrupp Elevator's destination selection control. Also, as the cars cannot pass one another, the top car can only serve from level two the top floor, and the bottom car can only operate between the ground and two floors from the top. In this particular scheme, a 25% increase in the groups' performance has been achieved, and the client is extremely pleased with that gain.