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Refurbishing buildings to meet demand
This and other
announcements have seen investment in the city soar as corporates set up shop
and expand their businesses. Demand for commercial office space has gone
through the roof, with international property consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle
(JLL) expecting the city’s Grade-A office space to hit 11 million square meters
by 2020.
Shanghai is meeting
this growing demand by refurbishing old buildings, and China Plaza 66 is an
example of this. Located in the Jing’an District, a prominent commercial area,
the China Plaza 66 hosts numerous Fortune 500 companies and has been setting
trends from the time it was built in 2001.
However, time has
taken its toll and the property has faced stiff competition from newer, more
modern office buildings that have been coming up. Which is why its developers
decided to upgrade the building. They focused on modernizing the elevator
system to reduce operational costs and improve people flow – a feat made all
the more challenging by the fact that this was a fully operational building.
“Renovating an
office building is not difficult for us if the building is not in operation,”
explains David Ho, senior manager of project construction at China Plaza 66.
“The challenge lies in renovating the building while all the tenants continue
their business as usual and there’s no more space to add new equipment.”
With our innovative
technologies, deep-rooted expertise and global experience, we were uniquely
positioned to turn this challenge into an opportunity. The team started by
surveying the existing equipment and gathering mechanical and electrical
information on them. Then, we applied a design aesthetics-based solution to
this problem, giving the buildings a contemporary look-and-feel while enhancing
user experience.
Ensuring minimum disturbance
“All this,
including the subsequent construction work, was done at night, so as to not
disturb the tenants,” emphasizes Lu Tian, project manager, KONE. “Our solution
was designed to shorten the construction period and fit perfectly with the
existing design aesthetics of the property.”
While this kept
disturbance to tenants and users to a minimum, we also used our innovative
products to address other challenges, namely increasing energy efficiency and
improving people flow. For instance, our ReGenerate800 solution provided
greater reliability and safety as compared with the older elevators, while
recovering up to 30% of the energy consumed. Additionally, our Destination
Control systems were installed, shortening waiting times, reducing the number
of intermediate stops, and increasing handling capacity.
Throughout the
process, we worked closely with the property owners, using numerous models and
prototypes, to ensure the solutions that had been provided worked seamlessly
with existing facilities. And the results are clear to see.
“The people flow
was acceptable during modernization, as both old and new elevators were easy to
access,” says Ho. “The passengers feel that the new elevators are quicker than
before, as the whole process has become more efficient.”
China Plaza 66’s
success in its modernization sets an example for other landmark buildings in
Shanghai to follow suit, secure in the knowledge that there is a way to upgrade
their facilities without having to temporarily shut shop.
“We have reduced
operational costs, increased rental value for the owners and enhanced user
safety and comfort, with minimal disruption to tenants and users. This kind of
solution will greatly benefit similar properties across Shanghai,” concludes
Tian, confidently.