Disabled access has become key aspect of sustainability

Accessibility of buildings has become a more urgent issue as part of the wider concern with sustainability.

“In the last couple of years, and especially over the last year, we have moved very dramatically as an industry from compliance to enabling our customers to have superior experiences,” said Maciej Kranz, chief technology officer with the Kone Corporation.

“Our customers care about sustainability and our customers care about people with disabilities having a full experience in buildings,” he said.

Kranz said Kone Corporation has been concerned with sustainability for decades and said that one example is that over the last 20 years the company has reduced the power requirement of its elevators by 90%  – a typical elevator now uses the equivalent of the power used by a refrigerator.

That was a starting point and the company has pledged carbon neutrality of its operations by 2030.

Click on the video above to watch the full interview or listen to the podcast below.