Willis Tower elevators receive upgrade as part of $500 million update
By David Malone, Associate Editor
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%.
See Also: $500 million investment will modernize Chicago’s Willis Tower
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.