UOB Plaza – Sky-high modernization Singapore

Business as usual

Throughout the entire project, the building continued to operate at full capacity – a remarkable feat. Schedules had to be kept, and meetings had to be made – which meant people had to get to where they needed to be quickly and efficiently.

With this in mind, before replacing any of the elevators, our team installed a Schindler PORT Overlay. This is where they deploy our state-of-the-art destination control system to optimize the existing elevators. As Schindler PORT works with almost any elevator – whether it’s one of ours or originally from a third-party – it’s the best way to start any modernization.

"With Schindler PORT in place, there was a noticeable improvement in the performance of the old elevators immediately," says Kumaraguru Sekar, our Senior Project Manager who oversaw the project. "It meant that when we started work on the first elevator, the remaining ones could cope with the increased traffic, so passenger impact was greatly reduced."

Guru’s team then replaced one elevator at a time – to ensure there were always enough available to cater for the flow of traffic and make sure it was business as usual for the people working in the towers. All the units have now been replaced with our high-performance Schindler 7000 elevators, providing a faster, smoother, and more comfortable ride throughout the UOB Plaza complex.

Tight timelines and precision planning

This is something that’s far easier said than done. No external hoists were used, meaning all the machinery had to be transported through the existing elevator system – and double-deck machines are huge.

"The old machines weighed up to 14 or 15 tons," explains Guru. They had to be dismantled in the machine room and removed, piece by piece, down through the building. Then, once one of the old machines had been removed, a new one could be transported up in pieces and assembled in its place. 

"We had to be flexible – the game was to not be noticed as much as possible," says Guru. That’s why he and his team worked irregular hours and over weekends – to keep disruption to a minimum. 

There were other challenges to overcome too. All equipment and material had to be delivered during approved times scheduled with Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA). To avoid causing any disruption to the city’s traffic, the time window our team had was always during the night, and always over weekends.

In addition to the 33 elevators, our team also modernized 11 escalators, nine of which are in the entrance lobbies of the complex – five in UOB Plaza 1 and four in UOB Plaza 2. They play a key role in the building’s split lobbies that service the double-deck elevators.

"All of the work was completed at night after working hours," says Guru. It was completed quickly – the team replaced all nine one-by-one with brand new Schindler 9300 escalators within a six-week timeframe. "The work rate and dedication of everyone involved really was remarkable." 

Innovative escalators

"This reduces downtime, as there’s no need for a complete redesign," explains Guru. To ensure that the new escalator system would integrate seamlessly into the existing structure, a 3D scanning process was employed to take precise measurements. This allowed for the design and manufacturing of materials tailored to the specific conditions of the site. As a result, on-site modifications were kept to a minimum, reducing installation time and returning the escalators back to service sooner.

Seamless access

To help provide quick and convenient access throughout the complex, our team integrated facial recognition (FR) cameras in the complex’s turnstiles as well as adding them above the entrance doors on each floor. The FR cameras are integrated directly with Schindler PORT. Access is granted only after the FR cameras identify a registered profile, allowing authorized tenants to enter designated areas without the need to swipe access cards – ensuring excellent security and access management.