Six Construct, a subsidiary of BESIX, the Belgian construction and infrastructure giant, has announced the deployment of Schindler R.I.S.E, the world’s first robot able to perform installation works in an elevator shaft, for the construction of Uptown Tower in Dubai’s DMCC.
The 340m tall tower is the first building to be completed in the Uptown Dubai district, with an expected delivery in 2022. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and built by BESIX Group, the tower will feature 188 luxury hotel rooms and suites, restaurants, health spas, conference facilities, and 229 uniquely designed branded residences.
Guided by a smart and sustainable construction strategy, Uptown Tower will be a LEED Gold Certified Building, and home to a state-of-the-art DMCC Business Hub.
In a statement, Six Construct said that it is using an autonomous and self-climbing robot pioneered by Schindler, Schindler’s Robotic Installation System for Elevators (Schindler R.I.S.E), for the first time on a supertall tower.
Schindler R.I.S.E will travel to all the levels of the tower to accurately measure and drill precision holes to set the anchor bolts necessary for the installation of the elevator guide rails and landing doors, the statement explained.
It added that this cutting-edge technology is revolutionising the elevator installation by making construction faster and more accurate, while also improving the health and safety conditions for technicians.
Robotic systems are becoming increasingly important to automate many of the construction industry’s repetitive and physically demanding tasks, said Luis Miguel Monteiro, project director at Six Construct, for the Uptown Dubai Tower. He added that the contractor’s client will also benefit from the increased accuracy, better quality installations and greater work safety and health conditions on the jobsite.
“If the Covid-19 pandemic is not the only driver of the improvement in productivity on construction, it will certainly be its accelerator, in particular through the digitalisation of processes,” he added.
Schindler R.I.S.E couples artificial intelligence with elevator technology to enable the safe and precise installation of elevators, paving the way for greater automation and digitalisation in the elevator industry. Digitalisation extends the capabilities of Schindler R.I.S.E by also enabling it to record actions and automatically exchange data with a digital model of the building, the statement continued.
“Using innovative solutions to build Uptown Tower in a sustainable and safe manner aligns perfectly with DMCC’s core ethos. The Schindler R.I.S.E solution will not only provide a safer workplace for those working on the project but will also result in a higher-quality product,” said Paul Ashton, executive director – property, DMCC.