Willis Tower elevators receive upgrade as part of $500 million update

The Willis Tower is in the midst of a massive renovation project to update the iconic skyscraper. As part of that project, the building’s 83 elevators and 97 passenger cabs, including their respective machine rooms, motors, cables, and controls, will be updated by Otis.

The Willis Tower elevator system makes over 46,000 daily trips and serves about 5.8 million people each year (over 15,000 per day). The modernization project will reduce travel time during peak hours by up to 30% and cut energy costs by an estimated 35%.

Otis and Equity Office finalized a contract to upgrade the building’s elevator cabs to Otis SkyRise units using the CompassPlus destination management system. The CompassPlus system organizes traffic flow and sorts passengers into each elevator based on their destinations to get people where they are going faster than conventional dispatching systems.

The upgrades on the elevators will begin in June. As part of the contract, Otis will provide maintenance service for the elevators for 10 years.

nZero, developer of a real-time carbon accounting and management platform, is offering free carbon emissions assessments for buildings in New York City. The offer is intended to help building owners prepare for the city’s upcoming Local Law 97 reporting requirements and compliance. This law will soon assess monetary fines for buildings with emissions that are in non-compliance.

Office Buildings | Aug 14, 2023

The programmatic evolution of the lobby

Ian Reves, Managing Director for IA's Atlanta studio, shares how design can shape a lobby into an office mainstay.

Office Buildings | Aug 10, 2023

Bjarke Ingels Group and Skanska to deliver 1550 on the Green, one of the most sustainable buildings in Texas

In downtown Houston, Skanska USA’s 1550 on the Green, a 28-story, 375,000-sf office tower, aims to be one of Texas’ most sustainable buildings. The $225 million project has deployed various sustainable building materials, such as less carbon-intensive cement, to target 60% reduced embodied carbon.

Alcove residential tower at night by James Steinkamp Photography

MFPRO+ New Projects | Aug 4, 2023

Nashville gets 'first-of-its-kind' residential tower

Global architecture firm Goettsch Partners announces the completion of Alcove, a new 356-unit residential tower in Nashville, Tenn., developed by Giarratana LLC.

Eagle + West tower, Brooklyn, by OMA, Beyer Blinder Belle Photo: John Cole

MFPRO+ New Projects | Jul 27, 2023

OMA, Beyer Blinder Belle design a pair of sculptural residential towers in Brooklyn

Eagle + West, composed of two sculptural residential towers with complementary shapes, have added 745 rental units to a post-industrial waterfront in Brooklyn, N.Y. Rising from a mixed-use podium on an expansive site, the towers include luxury penthouses on the top floors, numerous market rate rental units, and 30% of units designated for affordable housing.

Keppel South Central is slated for completion in late 2024. Rendering courtesy NBBJ

High-rise Construction | Jul 26, 2023

A 33-story Singapore tower aims to reimagine work with restorative, outdoor spaces

Architecture firm NBBJ has unveiled design details for Keppel South Central, a commercial tower in Singapore. The project, which is slated for completion in late 2024, will transform the original Keppel Towers into a 33-story, energy-efficient building that aims to reimagine work by providing restorative spaces and connections to the outdoors.