The "Twin" was launched 20 years ago

TK Elevator celebrates 20 years of Twin, the elevator was launched in 2003 and first showcased at the University of Stuttgart in Germany.

It was the world's first elevator to have two cabins operating independently in the same shaft. This means that it is capable of transporting up to 40 percent more passengers while requiring 25 percent less of a building's valuable floorspace than conventional mobility solutions.

Although double-decker elevators were already well established in the last century, they can only move both elevator cars at the same time and therefore often use energy to power empty cabins. In comparison, Twin conserves energy by parking one of the cabins whenever passenger volumes are low.

When traffic volumes are high and there is a lot of inter-floor traffic, Twin also minimizes congestion and reduces waiting times, says the company. Initially developed to address the high inter-floor traffic flow in offices, Twin has been implemented as the mobility solution of choice in many other building types due to its high-degree of flexibility.

Created with the digital future in mind

While Twin always came equipped with a regenerative drive, which uses the elevator’s own braking mechanism to generate electricity which is then fed back into the building’s grid, several updates have been made since its launch.

Twin was created with the digital future in mind. Passengers select a floor at an Agile Destination Control lobby terminal, and the intelligent dispatching algorithm automatically directs passengers to the elevator they need. "This not only quickens the pace and improves efficiency, it also allows for adaptability to brand-new building traffic concepts and fluctuating traffic patterns", stresses TK Elevator.

Twin boasts a four-level, TÜV-approved and SIL3-classified safety system, which ensures that the cabins always operate at a minimum safety distance from each another.

More information: tkelevator.com