Improving access to the expanded I Portali shopping center
The I Portali shopping center forms part of the most innovative and diverse shopping complex in Catania, Sicily. With more than 110 stores supplying an extensive range of products and services, efficient People Flow™is essential to enable consumers to circulate smoothly and comfortably around the expansive mall.
KONE was selected to provide the center’s People Flow solution and installed a total of 28 elevators, escalators, and inclined autowalks.
KONE was charged with ensuring effective People Flow throughout the entire mall, while at the same time respecting the carefully maintained image of I Portali as an elegant village. This was done during the center’s initial construction and then again – with strict deadlines to minimise mall closure – during two subsequent redevelopments.
KONE’s primary tasks were to:• Increase efficient People Flow™• Ensure elegance of design• Perform rapid installations to minimise mall closure
Designed to reflect a unique environment
Ensuring accessibilityThree years after the mall’s opening, I Portali further expanded the center with the construction of two new areas. In response, KONE installed several additional inclined autowalks, escalators, and elevators. In particular, the four new escalators installed in the central area drastically improved accessibility to the stores located on the second floor allowing more visitors to experience the full diversity of the mall.
Aesthetic integrationAesthetics is of vital importance to I Portali, so integrating People Flow systems harmoniously into an environment of marble fixtures and tropical vegetation was essential. By using mirrored side-cladding on the inclined autowalks to reflect the tranquil water underneath and installing KONE’s new and improved visual outlook on the four TravelMaster™ escalators, KONE ensured that its solution respected and enhanced the unique atmosphere of the mall..