KONE APPOINTS HARA CFO
KONE has appointed Ilkka Hara chief financial officer (CFO) and member of the executive board, effective August 8. Based in Espoo, Finland, Hara takes the position previously held by Eriikka Söderström, who plans to leave the company in July to pursue other interests. Hara joins KONE from Microsoft, where he served as general manager and CFO for the phones division since 2014, based in the U.S. Since 2004, he held various finance, and mergers and acquisitions leadership roles at Nokia. Prior to that, he gained experience in investment banking with a special focus on technology. He holds a Master's of Science in Economics from the Helsinki School of Economics.
BLACK TOWER TAKING SHAPE IN MANHATTAN
A 42-story, shiny black tower designed by American architect Richard Meier is starting to take shape in New York City at 39th Street and 685 First Avenue overlooking the East River, Dezeen reports. Scheduled for completion in 2018, the structure marks a departure for the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, who typically works in white. The 828,000-sq.-ft. building is set to house more than 550 apartments. Architectural features include a terrace slightly north of the halfway point. Developer Sheldon Solow's tower is taking shape on a former parking lot.
43-STORY APARTMENT TOWER PLANNED IN SEATTLE
Chinese developer China Vanke Co. and California-based Laconia Development plan to build a US$200-million, 43-story residential tower at 600 Wall Street in downtown Seattle near the Space Needle, the Puget Sound Business Journal reports. Construction could start in early 2017. The structure would house approximately 400 rental units, and developers are optimistic due to growth of Amazon's headquarters nearby and a shift in demographics. Laconia has another residential highrise in Seattle that is close to 90% leased.
http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/may-25-2016/
