Majestic transformation along the Seine River
Their plan was ambitious. The changes needed to be dramatic, but done quickly in a congested area of Paris. Rather than demolish the existing tower, the building would be stripped down and a new tower designed and constructed around the old metal framework. All this was achieved in remarkable time – just four years, from 2007 to 2011.
The new tower, renamed Tour First, has a completely different, modern look, with several additional floors and more landscaping around the tower. With such a large undertaking in a short time period and with limited space on site, the project demanded excellent teamwork and cooperation among the different players.
Green principles
KONE implemented its latest innovations in eco-efficiency to help meet the strong environmental requirements. Power regeneration was a key factor. Twelve elevators and the two freight elevators use KONE regenerative drive technology. Energy otherwise lost during braking is recaptured and fed back into the main supply network. KONE also implemented a standby mode solution to further reduce energy consumption by turning off car lighting and floor signalisation when not in use.
Beating the rush
As the business district of Paris grew over the years, so too did the number of people heading in and out of the old Tour AXA. Especially during the lunch time rush, handling capacity was an issue. Because the new building would use the same elevator shafts, another solution had to be utilised through means other than adding new elevators. To achieve the required increase in people flow, KONE implemented its KONE Polaris™ Destination System (DCS) with excellent results to the passenger elevators.
KONE delivered outstanding products, and the communication between KONE and the builders was extremely good, says Jean-Marc Besson, President of Beacon Capital Partners France.
KONE delivered outstanding products, and the communication between KONE and the builders was extremely good, says Jean-Marc Besson, President of Beacon Capital Partners France.