Based in the center of Guangzhou’s glitzy central business district, the Guangzhou GDH Finance Center exemplifies the city’s embrace of innovation and technology. Our double-deck elevators and fourth-generation Schindler PORT technology ensure an excellent passenger experience throughout the complex.
Guangzhou – the capital city of Guangdong, China's most populous province – has a long history of facilitating movement. It's China's most important port and was also one of the starting points of the old Silk Road, which connected Asia to Europe.
Today, Guangzhou is a vibrant commercial hub, home to a dazzling array of modern skyscrapers. Together with Hong Kong, Macao, Shenzhen and seven other cities in Guangdong, it forms part of the Greater Bay Area – an integrated economic region with a total population of approximately 86 million people (about twice the population of California).
Two of the latest additions to the city’s skyline are part of the imposing Guangzhou GDH Finance Center, owned by Guangdong Holdings (GDH) Limited. The complex is made up of two main towers – Tower A and Tower B stand 284 meters and 176 meters tall respectively – which are connected by a podium level that includes eight low rise buildings housing event and retail spaces. Surrounding the buildings is a garden covering over 30,000 square meters. More greenery abounds as the towers – which are located in Zhujiang New Town, the city’s central business district – border the 22-hectare Zhujiang Park.
"Safe, rapid, and smart elevators are an essential aspect of quality of life, especially for those living and working in skyscrapers," says Leo Chen, our Regional General Manager, responsible for the operations across three provinces in the south of China – Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan.
Our team installed 108 units in the two towers: 50 Schindler 9300 escalators, 12 Schindler 5500 elevators, and 46 premium Schindler 7000 elevators. The elevators in the Guangzhou GDH Finance Center travel at speeds of up to six meters per second and are all coordinated by our fourth-generation Schindler PORT technology to ensure they run as efficiently as possible and keep waiting times to a minimum.
Our Schindler PORT turnstiles used in the buildings also feature contactless facial recognition – providing excellent security and access management, while allowing tenants to walk straight through without needing to swipe access badges.
Liu Yi, Deputy General Manager for building owner GDH, explains why they decided to go with Schindler for this prestigious project. "The products, technologies, solutions, and services Schindler offers to high-rise constructions have such a good reputation, and Schindler also earned points for its fair and equitable bid," he explains. "But the final decision was made following a neighborly visit to the Bank of Guangzhou Tower. The building owner was full of praise for the elevators, the service, and the Schindler PORT system."
The 268-meter-tall Bank of Guangzhou Tower, located near the Guangzhou GDH Finance Center, was the first building in China to use our pioneering transit management technology when it opened in 2012. Still to this day, the 57-floor high-rise continues to be a showcase for our transit management system. "The technology is ideal," explains Li Yingfan, the Bank building’s administrator enthusiastically. "The moment employees scan their badge, they’re directed to the appropriate elevator."
Danny Huang, our Director for Global Large Projects, China Sales, explains the company’s local popularity: "Beyond technical aspects, our brand also represents safety and quality. People trust Swiss products – they have an outstanding reputation in this country."
"When it comes to high-rise buildings, Schindler PORT is our most effective selling point," says Leo Chen. "But it's not just for offices – demand is also soaring for luxury residential projects."
Schindler PORT Mini uses smaller screens that can be controlled via smartphone, "this means tenants can use their phones instead of keys to access their apartments," explains Leo.
Six of the Schindler 7000 elevators are double-deckers, which have twice the carrying capacity of a regular Schindler 7000 elevator. Such a load demands a heavier drive. While a residential elevator drive weighs approximately one ton and a high-rise model requires a drive of up to four tons, the drives for these double-deckers weigh in at a whopping ten tons.
"Nowhere else in China have we installed such heavy drives," explains He Weibiao, our Large Project Manager who led the team during the construction.
It took six months to prepare the lifting system for these drives and to perform the complex calculations required for smooth, safe installation and operation. Close collaboration between the main contractor, project planner, building supervisor, and building owner was the key to the project’s success. Ultimately, the drives were lifted by a rotating tower crane to the 34th floor of Tower A for installation, a process that took three days.
Stepping out of the elevator and into the elegant sky lobby on the 31st floor of Tower A, Weibiao looks back on this project with pride: "I oversaw construction for two and a half years. It was like watching an infant grow!"