Having to replace an escalator in a public facility of any kind is a major headache for the building’s management—all that debris and noise, not to mention the inconvenience to visitors and the annoying expense.
Imagine what it would be like to have to replace more than a dozen escalators, in a facility that might have to host a hundred thousand visitors on a busy day.
At Detroit’s Cobo Center, 14 glass balustrade escalators have been fully updated over the last two years, with more to come. The work has been clean and quiet, allowing building management to conduct business as usual.
Credit for this accomplishment goes to EcoMod, a complete escalator modernization system from Finnish vertical transport manufacturer KONE. The EcoMod system replaces the entire inner workings of an escalator unit without removing the supporting truss. “The escalators are equivalent to brand-new units but without the hassle,” says Claude Molinari, Cobo Center’s Assistant General Manager.
Meeting the needs of year-round activity at busy, busy Cobo
Opened in 1960 and expanded in 1989, Cobo Center is one of the country’s largest convention sites. The facility hosts events about 320 days a year, including the two-week-long North American International Auto Show each January. Daily attendance can reach 100,000. The center’s escalators are critical to moving people through four levels of space, but scant attention had been paid to them for decades, and they were prone to frequent breakdowns. By 2010, they had become a detriment to serving current clients and attracting future shows.
That’s when the center’s owner, Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority, launched a multi-year, $300 million improvement and expansion program. This time the escalators would be overhauled. The question was how.
“We needed to replace the escalators, but we also had to stay open,” says Molinari. “We have several events that use every square inch of space in the building. We can’t close pieces of it. To tell someone that one-third of the building you normally occupy is not available this year would not be acceptable.”
Another consideration was the restaurants and retailers that operate beneath some of the trusses. A tear-out would mean those businesses would have to shut down for the duration. Again, unacceptable.
Avoiding total replacement
Total tear-out, the traditional escalator replacement method, was deemed impractical. “Total replacement is major construction,” says David Paxson, Project Manager and KONE Detroit Branch Manager. “The cost to bring in a general contractor to tear the building apart in a way that allows the truss to be removed is pretty expensive.”
Total replacements usually require cutting holes in roofs or façades because materials and equipment are too large to transport through the doors and windows. “It’s usually done at night, so you’re not doing heavy lifting around the public, which makes it even more expensive,” says Paxson.
With the custom-fabricated EcoMod retrofit option, it wasn’t necessary to touch the drywall, cladding, or any other parts of the building, according to KONE’s Kellie Lindquist, LEED Green Associate. The EcoMod components were built in modules that fit on a conventional skid and were assembled on site.
The Cobo project has been phased, starting with the escalators in poorest condition: 12 in 2011, two in 2012. Five more are in progress. During the first phase, crews took on four escalators at a time at opposite sides of the building.
The process entailed enclosing the workspace with temporary privacy walls, removing the old units, and cleaning and painting the trusses. The drive module was installed at the top, the turnaround station at the bottom. On the incline, brackets were welded to the truss, track was anchored to the brackets, and steps were laid atop the track. New balustrade and handrails were the final touches. It took about 10 weeks to complete four escalators.
The new units meet building codes that were not in place when the original escalators were installed. They come with energy-saving features such as a lubrication-free step chain, power regeneration, and LED lighting. They’re also equipped with missing step detectors, handrail speed sensors, a narrowed step-to-skirt gap, and other current safety features.
“The technology that gets installed is the same technology as if you put in all brand new,” says Lindquist. “We’re just installing it using a different method.”
Cobo Center’s Molinari says he conducted a cost comparison between total replacement and the KONE method and was able to document a 50% savings for the facility using the EcoMod system.
Molinari says he enjoys greater peace of mind knowing today’s visitors have a safer, quieter, more pleasant experience than in the past. “I was somewhat skeptical at first,” says Molinari. “I knew I had to accept a certain amount of inconvenience, but I was surprised how little interruption it caused. For the most part, people had no idea the escalators were being worked on.”
Related Stories
MFPRO+ News | Aug 14, 2024
Report outlines how Atlanta can collaborate with private sector to spur more housing construction
A report by an Urban Land Institute’s Advisory Services panel, commissioned by the city’s housing authority, Atlanta Housing (AH), offered ways the city could collaborate with developers to spur more housing construction.
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 14, 2024
KPF unveils design for repositioning of Norman Foster’s 8 Canada Square tower in London
8 Canada Square, a Norman Foster-designed office building that’s currently the global headquarters of HSBC Holdings, will have large sections of its façade removed to create landscaped terraces. The project, designed by KPF, will be the world’s largest transformation of an office tower into a sustainable mixed-use building.
Sustainability | Aug 14, 2024
World’s first TRUE Zero Waste for Construction-certified public project delivered in Calif.
The Contra Costa County Administration Building in Martinez, Calif., is the world’s first public project to achieve the zero-waste-focused TRUE Gold certification for construction. The TRUE Certification for Construction program, administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), recognizes projects that achieve exceptional levels of waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.
Energy Efficiency | Aug 9, 2024
Artificial intelligence could help reduce energy consumption by as much as 40% by 2050
Artificial intelligence could help U.S. buildings to significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, according to a paper by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Sponsored | Healthcare Facilities | Aug 8, 2024
U.S. healthcare building sector trends and innovations for 2024-2025
As new medicines, treatment regimens, and clinical protocols radically alter the medical world, facilities and building environments in which they take form are similarly evolving rapidly. Innovations and trends related to products, materials, assemblies, and building systems for the U.S. healthcare building sector have opened new avenues for better care delivery. Discussions with leading healthcare architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms and owners-operators offer insights into some of the most promising directions. This course is worth 1.0 AIA/HSW learning unit.
Data Centers | Aug 8, 2024
Global edge data center market to cross $300 billion by 2026, says JLL
Technological megatrends, including IoT and generative AI, will require computing power to be closer to data generation and consumption, fueling growth of edge IT infrastructure, according to a new JLL report.
K-12 Schools | Aug 8, 2024
New K-12 STEM center hosts robotics learning, competitions in Houston suburb
A new K-12 STEM Center in a Houston suburb is the venue for robotics learning and competitions along with education about other STEM subjects. An unused storage building was transformed into a lively space for students to immerse themselves in STEM subjects. Located in Texas City, the ISD Marathon STEM and Robotics Center is the first of its kind in the district.
Products and Materials | Aug 8, 2024
EPA issues $160 million in grants for clean manufacturing of steel, other construction materials
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will provide 38 grant recipients with nearly $160 million to support efforts to report and reduce climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials and products.
University Buildings | Aug 1, 2024
UC Riverside’s student health center provides an environment on par with major medical centers
The University of California, Riverside's new Student Health and Counseling Center (SHCC) provides a holistic approach to wellness for students throughout the UC Riverside campus. Designed by HGA and delivered through a design-build partnership with Turner Construction Company, SHCC provides healthcare offerings in an environment on par with major medical centers.
MFPRO+ News | Aug 1, 2024
Canada tries massive incentive program to spur new multifamily housing construction
Canada has taken the unprecedented step of offering billions in infrastructure funds to communities in return for eliminating single-family housing zoning.