HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

Raimon Land’s show suite elevator wins prestigious award

Exciting changes at Thai Garden Resort

Construction deal signed for the Urban Pattaya development

Ocean’s Edge secures construction finance

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Raimon Land’s show suite elevator wins prestigious award

This photo shows Raimon Land’s award winning “upside-down,
 inside-out” platform elevator at The River’s show suite in Bangkok.

Bangkok - Raimon Land has won the prestigious Elevator World magazine’s 10th Annual 2008 Project of the Year Award in the Accessibility Systems category for its “upside-down, inside-out” platform elevator at The River’s show suite in Bangkok.
According to the elevator’s designer, Richard Draper from Elevert, what makes this three-storey custom lift unique is the absence of any visible means of support.
Its open-top circular platform rests on the ground floor, but when in use the elevator acts as a hydraulic pedestal pushing passengers to the desired floor.
Raimon Land Chief Executive Officer, Nigel J Cornick, said: “We are extremely proud of this award. It reflects The River lifestyle concept we are trying to project as well as exhibits the extent to which we will go in providing high-quality innovative and functional designs.”
“Our requirements were very specific. We wanted the twice-winding spiral stairs to take centre stage. The River’s elevator had to be discreet when parked on the ground floor, with no visible mechanisms other than the platform unit and the landing gates on the upper floors.”
Passengers enter the elevator’s open platform through a waist-high sliding door. A profiled leather balustrade sits on top of the 1.25-metre high circular wall to allow riders to view the cityscape as the elevator climbs inside the spiral stairs.
When the platform reaches a floor, the door slides open simultaneously with the centre-opening leaf gates on the landing. Those watching the 10-passenger elevator operate see only a 2.1-metre diameter stainless steel drum rising from underneath the floor to a maximum 10 metres at the top level.
To accomplish this, all the equipment normally associated with an elevator had to be installed underground including the entire one-piece, 10-metre-tall external drum. This required a 13-metre-deep excavated pit next to the Chao Phraya River, which necessitated the expertise of construction divers.
Each component of The River’s elevator had to be custom designed and built. Bangkok’s Steelworks produced the mechanical equipment and accessories, Swiss-based Bucher built the hydraulic components and Shanghai STEP Elevator designed the high-tech controlling system. Elevert’s installation team carried out the erection on site.
Elevator World’s panel of industry specialists selected The River’s innovative “upside-down, inside-out” design for its unique application, challenges that had to be overcome, the teamwork and techniques involved for its successful installation, use of advanced technology and the overall quality of the presentation.
Entries into Elevator World’s 10-year-old Project of the Year Awards have come from the Pacific, Southeast Asia, the UAE, the US, Europe and some South American countries.
Previous winners include the Austrian Cultural Institute, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Emirates Palace Hotel, The Saturn Project in Germany, Frank Family Residence in Israel, Tower Shanghai, Mackinac Bridge in the US, Namesty Miru Metro Station in Russia and Australia’s Hazelwood Power Station.

Exciting changes at Thai Garden Resort

Those of you who have passed the entrance to the Thai Garden Resort over the past days have probably noticed contractors building a new hotel entrance wall at the North Pattaya Road.
This is just the start of a multi million baht renovation project. The major renovations will commence on May 1 and last till September 2008.
During this period the hotel will be closed for customers for a total of four months.
This timeframe will be used for the construction companies to realize several new projects at the resort which will include the creation of a new 440 square meter outdoor pool, refurbishment of the indoor pool and the creation of a new shopping arcade, building of a new two story main building which will house the lobby and Lanna Coffee Shop, realization of 12 new hotel guest rooms and 2 handicapped rooms and new surfacing of all walkways throughout the resort.
More details on the renovations and photos of the work in progress can be found on the website www.thaigarden.com.
However The Moon River Pub in front of the hotel will remain open as usual and the Thai Garden Resort will reopen for guest in September 2008 with a “brand new look.”