We excavated a more than 100 meters long shaft for the Kone High-Rise Laboratory

We excavated and reinforced a shaft of more than 100 metres for the Kone High-Rise Laboratory in the Tytyri mine area in Lohja, Southern Finland. Kone uses the shaft to test elevators intended for skyscrapers and medium-high buildings.

In its High-Rise Laboratory, Kone monitors and develops elevator riding comfort, safety and energy consumption, for instance. The shaft offers excellent testing opportunities and also an environment where Kone can demonstrate its new products to its customers around the world.

Previously, Kone had four testing shafts in Tytyri. Now we have built five more shafts with pre-cast concrete elements. We started excavation by making a bottom-to-top pilot hole. We made the pilot hole with the Alimak method starting from the old facilities of the Tytyri limestone mine. Then we expanded the shaft from the top downwards. We dropped the excavated rock through the pilot shaft to the mine cave, from where we transported it to be used as filling material in the underground parts of the Tytyri mine. After reinforcement, a pre-cast concrete element structure was installed in the shaft. The new shafts of the High-Rise Laboratory started operating during 2016.

rock construction