As high rise living gains popularity, architectural design has gotten inventive, taking different shapes to please eclectic consumer tastes. And although elevators have been ferrying people up and down since 1854, they’ve seen little change or innovation. A newly designed elevator – Multi by ThyssenKrupp – turns what we’re used to sideways, literally.

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The first rope-free elevator, Multi reimagines the elevator for the 21st century. Combining linear motors and horizontal mobility with the advances of TWIN elevators, Multi becomes a indoor shuttle for urban dwellers. Its double entrance lobby allows more flexibility while its linear drive and guiding equipment lets it make 90° turns.

This super innovative elevator will feature multiple cabins traveling up one shaft and down another in a single continuous loop. Doors will open even 15 to 30 seconds despite having fewer elevator shafts. This will mean shorter wait times, greater capacity, a smaller footprint with substantially reduced weight and mass. Can you say convenience?

In 2016, ThyssenKrupp began building its test tower in Rottweil, Germany. 246 meters (approximately 807 feet) tall, it will feature 12 test shafts and allow for travel speeds of up to 18 meters (59 feet) per second. Three shafts will be dedicated to testing and certifying the cable-less MULTI elevator system. Keep fingers crossed to be able to ride in one of these amazing elevators in a few years (maybe sooner?)