What Happened To The Amazing Sideways Lift?

In 1964, the concept of passenger lifts that were made entirely of glass and could not only go up and down but from side to side as well was so impossibly futuristic that it was immortalised in one of the most famous works of pure imagination in literary history.

The book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl in 1964 was surprisingly prophetic, as not only would lifts made of structural glass become increasingly popular for skyscrapers, but even the concept of a lift that could travel sideways became possible as well.

Simply known as Multi by the German company ThyssenKrupp, the lift system does not use the standard system of pulleys and cables to move the lift but instead uses a series of motors and magnets inspired in part by those used on high-speed magnetic levitation railways.

Originally unveiled in 2014 as the biggest development in lift technology since Elisha Otis cut the cable and unveiled the safety elevator nearly two centuries ago, Multi was said to reduce power demands by up to 60 per cent and increase transport capacity by half compared to conventional lifts.

It also could be more easily expanded, allowing for faster lifts that could travel further and increase the potential for even greater skyscrapers than buildings like the Burj Khalifa, but its biggest achievement was that thanks to rotating tracks it could travel sideways, allowing for a revolution in building design.

It was installed inside Rottweil Test Tower in 2017 and was apparently set to be installed in East Side Tower in Berlin, although as of 2023 that plan has changed and little has been heard since.

The issue is that currently only one company offers the system and a building has to be designed around its smaller but specific form factor. If it turns out not to be the right decision, it is impossible to retrofit a conventional lift as the shafts are far too small.

It has only been six years and given the long development times for skyscrapers, there is a chance that a developer would commit to it.