Otis to Design One-Of-A-Kind 100-Passenger Elevators for World's First Interactive Museum of News

Otis to Design One-Of-A-Kind 100-Passenger Elevators for World's First Interactive Museum of News

April 21, 2006

    FARMINGTON, Conn., April 21 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Otis
Elevator Company, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:
UTX), was selected to design and install one-of-a-kind glass
elevators for Washington D.C.'s Newseum, the world's first
interactive museum of news. As part of the 21-unit
contract, Otis will also provide six flat-belt
machine-roomless Gen2(R) elevators.

    (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060420/NETH001 )

    "I am proud of the Otis engineers who designed
this first-in-kind solution to meet the unique aesthetic,
capacity and performance requirements of this
project," said Ari Bousbib, Otis president. "Otis
is also delighted to showcase our patented,
environment-friendly Gen2 technology for this landmark in
our nation's capital."

    Installed side by side along the east wall of its
90-foot atrium, Newseum's three floor-to-ceiling
glass-walled hydraulic elevators will create a bay window
effect and offer visitors panoramic views of sights along
Washington D.C.'s Pennsylvania Avenue. Each will travel 100
feet, nearly double the rise of conventional hydraulic
elevators, and be capable of carrying 100 passengers. With
cars 8 feet wide by 17 feet deep, the 18,000-pound
elevators will be among the largest of their kind in the
world.

    "Otis is the only elevator manufacturer capable of
stepping up to the challenge of this complex task,"
said Nick Good, project manager for the general contractor,
Turner Construction. "The hydraulic lift option was
necessary to allow for the aesthetic advantage the
architect had envisioned for the Newseum's atrium
elevators, and Otis has designed the best solution."

    Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest
manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products
including elevators, escalators and moving walkways. With
headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut, Otis employs
60,000 people worldwide, offers products and services in
more than 200 countries and territories, and maintains 1.5
million elevators and escalators worldwide. United
Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, is a
diversified company providing high technology products and
services to the building and aerospace industries. 

    For more information, please contact:

     Tizz Weber, 
     Director, Communications,
     Otis Elevator Company
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  Otis Elevator Company