What’s the longest commute by elevator?
These days space is all too often at a premium, even for the wealthy, especially in big cities where there is simply very little room available. High-income business professionals who want a base in one of the world’s major urban centres are increasingly opting for luxury apartments and penthouses. As demand grows, the buildings containing these homes get higher, and the elevator commute gets longer. But just how extensively is this happening?
The World’s Longest Elevator Commute
At present, the single longest elevator commute is 432 Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York. The highest apartment contained within this tower is 1,286 feet above the ground, meaning that residents must make an elevator journey of this length. Assuming at least one trip down to the ground and up again every day, this would rack up 178 miles of vertical travel per year. This compares to just ten miles a year for the average low-rise building. If they have a lot of coming and going to do and would make more than one trip out each day, the number could be far higher still.
The close runner-up is 106 Tower in the busy economic hub that is Dubai. The tower is actually slightly taller than 432 Park Avenue, standing 1,421 feet high compared to the New York building’s 1,396 feet. However, the highest apartment contained within the building is 1,207 feet above ground – 79 feet lower than its opposite number at 432 Park Avenue – making the elevator commute a little shorter. Over the course of a year, though, a resident making one trip to the ground and back every day would still amass a very respectable 167 miles of elevator travel per year.
The New Contender
432 Park Avenue and 106 Tower represent the two longest residential elevator commutes of any building currently standing. However, there is still room at the top and 432’s lofty place as the title holder is not going to last much longer. The building that will steal the number one place is already under construction, and when it is completed the resident in the highest apartment could easily have to travel nearly 200 vertical miles each year.
The building in question is the World One Tower, which is currently under construction in India’s thriving city of Mumbai. It is due to be completed in 2016, and it will be the single tallest building in the world to be used for entirely residential purposes. It will stand 1,450 feet high – 29 feet taller than 106 Tower – and the highest apartment will be a lofty 1,400 feet in the air. Assuming once again that residents will make their elevator commute just once per day, this will represent 194 miles of annual elevator travel. With each round trip representing over half a mile, only a few extra trips in a year would be needed to push this figure over the 200-mile mark.
