For the third year in a row, Elmas Brașov ranks first in the “Project of the Year” global competition organized by Elevator World

Elmas Brașov, a company specialized in lifting systems, has won the first prize at the Elevator World “Project of the Year 2021” global competition, the category “Special-Purpose Lifts”, with the project “Pasărea Măiastră - Platform for passengers” for the technical solution proposed.
With a tradition of over 65 years, Elevator World Inc. USA is the publisher of Elevator World, a magazine distributed worldwide to all specialists in the field of elevators. Participation in the international competition “Project of the Year”, in its 23rd edition, is 100% free and open to all elevator manufacturers in the world.

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

10 years ago we were contacted by a representative of the Dorin Ștefan Architecture Office, who presented us the project of the Constantin Brâncuși International Centre of Craiova, a tribute to the great Romanian sculptor, a central figure of the modern artistic movement.
We were asked for an expert's opinion for a special elevator to be integrated into the architectural project. Due to the complexity of the project initiated for the Constantin Brâncuși International Centre, several of the contacted elevator manufacturers did not believe they could deliver a technical and aesthetic solution that would fit into the theme of the architectural ensemble. In 2018, the meetings and discussions with the architect Dorin Ștefan and the developer of the work were resumed, all the data was analysed and the technical solution proposed by ELMAS was agreed.

ELMAS designers developed the concept and designed the platform for passengers, implementing bold and special solutions, functionally and safely meeting the purpose and offering a distinctive design. The platform was manufactured entirely by ELMAS, and it was assembled and checked in detail in the elevator pre-assembly hall. The components of the platform were transported in several shipments to the facility in Craiova, where specialized teams of ELMAS elevator installers and technicians installed in various stages the entire platform for passengers. At the end, adjustments, tests and trial runs were performed.

Upon the acceptance of the work in September 2020, the project was entered in the “Project of the Year 2021” competition, organized annually in the USA by the prestigious international publication Elevator World. This competition edition has seen the most projects submitted by various elevator manufacturers in recent years, resulting in a tight competition, very challenging for the jury appointed to decide the winners.
Following the assessments made by impartial jury of professionals and experts in the field, the project ranked first in the category “Special-Purpose Lifts”. The projects entered in the competition were assessed according to several criteria: innovation, originality and creativity, construction methods and techniques, the use of advanced technologies, etc.

A UNIQUE PRODUCT

An underground wing, dedicated to Brâncuși, covered above-ground by a glass prism, was built within the International Art Centre of Craiova, 
It is 12 meters high and contains large-scale interpretations of Brâncuși’s works “Ovoidul” and „Pasărea Măiastră”. For this project unique in the world,
ELMAS designed, manufactured, delivered and assembled a product that fits into the architectural environment, offering visitors an interesting visual experience during the trip. The “Pasărea Măiastră” platform is intended for the vertical transport of persons, being manufactured in accordance with the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC for a 25 year long service life. It is hydraulically operated and it is provided with a special technical solution to support the cabin and perform the trip. For the drive system, the Elmas team of designers came up with a special technical solution, consisting of a centrally positioned hydraulic piston and a telescopic metallic structure, composed of two segments. All these elements were installed inside the platform shaft. The platform shaft consists of two sectors: the sector made of reinforced concrete and the sector built inside the architectural composition of glass.

When activating the passenger platform control, the hydraulic piston actuates the inner segment of the metallic structure. After the extension of the inner segment, the trip of the platform continues, by taking over the outer metal segment, until reaching the final stop.
To create an emotional and visual effect, when the maximum point of the trip is reached, the platform cabin will be completely inside the architectural glass composition. The passenger is able to experience, in the few tens of seconds of the “ascent”, an immersion into Brâncuși's world. The semicircular cabin of the “Pasărea Măiastră” platform is made entirely of glass, offering a 360º panoramic view. The platform for passengers travels up to a height of 9 meters, at a rated speed of 0.15 m/s, offering a transport capacity of 150 kg (one person).

PREVIOUS EDITION AWARDS

The performance of ELMAS was appreciated at 2 previous editions of the competition
“Project of the Year”, 1st place in the category “Special-Purpose Lifts”:
-  2019 edition - “Elevator STONE”, Time Tunnel, Bran Castle;
-  2020 edition - “Mega Elevator”, Tel Aviv, Israel.