Otis is a name synonymous with elevators, escalators and moving walkways; here in Korea this is no different. As part of Asia Society Korea Center’s “Innovative Minds Series”, ASKC met up with the Otis Korea team, including Operations Director John Kwon, at their Yeouido headquarters to talk about innovation and what the future holds for the company.

Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, is home to Otis elevators that soar to the summit at a speed of 22mph. At Namsan Tower, otherwise known as the N Seoul Tower, people are transported to one of the best views overlooking Seoul. However according to Mr. Kwon, Koreans will soon remember Otis as the provider of the country’s fastest elevators which are being installed at the new Lotte World Tower at Jamsil. The 123-story, 555-meter-tall building will include high-tech Otis elevators that will reach the observation deck in only one minute. The innovative features of the project are providing Korea with its first double-deck elevators. Double-deck elevators have one car mounted on top of another so they can serve even and odd floors at the same time. They are used in many tall buildings around the world but it will be the first time they are used in Korea and will be a key feature of the design. Mr. Kwon explained how “Lotte World Tower will house the world’s highest double deck elevators that include cutting edge technology”.

Over the past 5 years Otis Korea has implemented a range of technologies to improve the elevator experience for passengers, and these were showcased to ASKC at the Otis Customer Center. One such technology is the use of flat belts rather than the conventional steel ropes which eliminates vibration and giving passengers a smoother ride. A major plus of this belt technology is that the machine room can now operate alongside the elevator rather than having to be built at the top of a building. This gives a lot more freedom to designers and architects when planning the construction of a building and we can see this throughout Korea. As Korea moves towards a more ecofriendly environment, Otis has followed suit by creating elevators that recycle energy back to the office building itself.

Going forward, Mr. Kwon told ASKC how the focus will shift towards providing customers with smart building solution through integration of building hardware which control transport, climate and security. Examples of this include using sensors to help with temperature control, elevators that go to sleep to save energy and sensors to automatically send elevators to pre designated floors. One interesting technology that was explained was the option of checking into a hotel room by using a smartphone and controlled elevator access, thus eliminating the need to go to a check-in desk. From the ASKC visit to the Otis Korea HQ, it is clear that the focus is on elevating innovation and technology.