Breaking it apart: modular modernization
Making machinery modular to minimize disruption.
Modernizing elevators is no small feat – literally.
Many of the elements that we upgrade during a modernization project – like motors, machines, and drives – are sizeable and heavy. And, most of the modernizations we carry out happen while buildings remain operational – where office workers can’t be disturbed, residents want to get home, hospital staff need unrestricted movement, and hotel guests have checked in expecting peace and quiet.
That makes removing the old equipment and bringing in the new a real challenge.
Minimal disruption throughout modernization projects is absolutely critical. We use various innovative methods to limit disturbance to occupants and protect the buildings themselves," explains Lydia Steinegger, Head of Global Modernization Sales.
That’s why, in addition to meticulously planning projects, working outside regular hours, and leveraging technological innovation, we also prioritize a customer-centric approach to equipment extraction and delivery.
And that’s where modularity plays its part. We can dismantle large pieces of existing equipment to remove them as smaller parts – and then deliver new equipment in segments to assemble on-site. This way, we can use existing exit and entry routes, rather than needing to set up alternatives that impact daily building business – like tearing down walls.
Here’s how we’ve taken this approach in various locations around the world:
CITIC Pacific Plaza, Shanghai
Modernizing elevators in the very narrow elevator shafts of the CITIC Pacific Plaza in the heart of Shanghai was always going to be a challenge. But not one our teams shied away from. They used modular gearless machines that could be dismantled and then reassembled on-site by certified technicians, and ensured the existing elevators continued working with Schindler PORT Overlay during the project, causing minimal disruption to the office workers and shoppers at this multi-use urban landmark.
Scotia Plaza, Toronto
When modernizing the elevators at Toronto’s Scotia Plaza, our teams had to transport all necessary equipment and machinery within the building – including across machine room floors not designed for heavy loads.
The solution? Dismantling the old machines, then using a custom-built, wall-mounted suspension rail system to extract them, before transferring the new, extremely heavy, elevator machines in piece by piece, and putting them together in place.
Olympiaturm, Munich
At the iconic Olympic Tower in Munich, the three cable drives that were in need of an update sat in a confined space.
Our teams dismantled them, to be able to extract them through an opening in the floor and transport them down to the ground floor with rope hoists. And then they repeated the process in reverse to bring in the new drives – supported throughout by skilled colleagues in Switzerland.