Otis Chosen For Willis Tower Elevator Modernization

Elevator World

Today's podcast is sponsored by: elevatorbooks.com OTIS CHOSEN FOR WILLIS TOWER ELEVATOR MODERNIZATION Otis has been chosen by Equity Office to modernize the elevator system in Chicago's iconic Willis Tower, which is undergoing a US$500-million makeover. The contract includes 83 elevators and 97 passenger cabs, which will be upgraded to SkyRise® units using the CompassPlusTM destination-management system. It also includes machine rooms, motors, cables and controls and 10 years of maintenance service. Escalators at key points in the building will be removed, and upgraded security and turnstiles promise to further improve traffic flow. David Moore, senior vice president, Equity Office, observed more than 15,000 tenants and visitors use the elevators each day. The Otis modernization is expected to reduce travel time during peak hours by up to 30% and cut energy costs by approximately 35%. A video provides more in-depth information about the project. PDERS WINS BIG LONDON MAINTENANCE CONTRACT Lift and escalator service company PDERS, part of the Otis subsidiary Express Lift Co. (formerly ELA Group), has secured a new service contract from Paradigm Housing Group. PDERS will maintain 87 passenger and 136 accessibility units, including stairlifts and through-to-floor lifts, in London and The Midlands under a three-year contract. PDERS will work with sister company Foster & Cross, another unit of Express Lift Co., to provide an integrated service for residents across Paradigm Housing Group’s property portfolio. MAJOR PROJECT TO UPGRADE PORTLAND TRANSIT ELEVATORS TriMet, operators of the MAX light-rail system in Portland, Oregon, have launched a US$22-million project to modernize or replace 19 elevators over the next several years, FOX 12 News reports. Heavily used outdoor elevators serving stations in northeast Portland along the Blue, Green and Red lines are part of the project. In May, crews began work on the first of three elevators that will be upgraded this year — at North East 60th Avenue — a unit that has been in operation since 1986. Electronics, mechanical equipment, air-conditioning systems, panels and doors are being replaced, with TriMet performing work on three to five elevators each year for the next several years. 81% OF ESCALATORS INSTALLED ON PAKISTAN’S FIRST METRO LINE Approximately 81% of the more than 260 escalators serving the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) in Lahore, Pakistan's first metro rail line, have been installed, reflecting progress on a project that promises to spur economic change for "thousands of ordinary citizens," UrduPoint reports. Spanning more than 27 km, OLMT will be served by 26 stations. Often mentioned as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the line, funded by the Government of Punjab, India, is "being recognized internationally as a showcase of Pak-China friendship," the source said. During an OLMT progress meeting in May, it was revealed that nearly 88% of the civil and 66% of the electrical/mechanical work had been completed. ELEVATOR-ONLY SKYTRAIN STATION ACCESS MULLED IN CANADA TransLink is mulling a new, secondary entrance at the busy Burrard SkyTrain station in downtown Vancouver, Canada, that would provide access between street level and concourse exclusively through six, six-story elevators, the Daily Hive reports. Working with VIA Architecture, the transit authority said since the plan includes building horizontal, underground tunnels in limited space, the elevator option makes more sense than one involving escalators. Should SkyTrain build the elevator-only entrance on the east side of Burrard Street, it would be following the lead of cities such as Seattle and Hong Kong, which implemented such entrances at Beacon Hill and MTR West Island, respectively. Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes?Google Play | SoundCloud?Stitcher?TuneIn