Place Ville Marie

Montreal, Canada

See how Otis completed a large-scale elevator modernization project at a prominent Montreal business campus

With five office buildings, anchored by a 45-story office tower, Place Ville Marie has been a landmark of downtown Montreal since the main tower’s construction in 1962. When it came time to modernize the elevator systems, Otis was there with cutting-edge solutions and innovations designed to redefine what it means to move through an urban space.

Place Ville Marie project facts

Completed: 2024
Number of Buildings: 5
Number of Elevators: 49
Owner/Manager: Ivanhoé Cambridge
Architect: I.M. Pei & Partners

Unique requirements

In one of the biggest elevator modernization projects in Canada, Otis was tasked with modernizing 49 elevators at Place Ville Marie to help with reducing energy consumption, improving passenger safety, ensuring seamless operation and meeting the latest code requirements. Throughout the process, Otis was able to maintain continuous service for existing occupants and visitors, while adapting to the unique requirements of tenants and building management.

Otis innovation

Otis modernized 49 elevators with regenerative and standby technologies to help increase energy efficiency of the elevators, and ultimately the building. Forty of these elevators were equipped with CompassPlus^® dispatching technology. All elevators were integrated with our EMS Panorama™ 2.0 elevator management system. In addition, an interface was provided to help with enabling the future integration of our eCall Pro App for touchless passenger experience.

49 elevators modernized with regenerative and standby technologies
EMS Panorama 2.0 for all elevatorsSkyRise^® double-deck elevators
Interface provided for future eCall Pro App integration
40 elevators integrated with CompassPlus intelligent dispatching service elevator
Compass security integration

Leveraging innovation and expertise to take vertical transportation into the future

Place Ville Marie: much more than an office tower

Located in the heart of downtown Montreal, Place Ville Marie has been part of the city’s urban fabric for more than 60 years. At its center is the 45-story office tower designed by famed I.M. Pei associate Henry N. Cobb. Although the name Place Ville Marie is commonly used to refer to the main office tower, the place also includes four surrounding office buildings and an underground shopping plaza.

Place Ville Marie has become a thriving urban gathering center at the intersection of art, business, shopping and dining.

Driving efficiency through modernization

To ensure Place Ville Marie’s elevator systems reflected the campus’s forward-looking spirit, Otis was brought in to modernize 49 of 53 elevators across the five buildings. This involved upgrading the existing units and integrating them with regenerative and standby technologies, and CompassPlus intelligent dispatching technology, to help with reducing energy consumption and improving passenger experiences.

The Otis team overcame a number of logistical challenges during the project. Work had to be carried out while the building was occupied, and teams took additional steps to maintain seamless service for tenants. In addition, there were several restricted floors across the buildings, and evolving health and safety requirements that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Solution

Prior to beginning onsite work at Place Ville Marie, our engineers conducted passenger flow studies to gain a better understanding of traffic patterns throughout the campus. We used the data to determine how best to minimize disruptions, reduce wait times and get passengers to their destinations faster. To achieve these goals, we implemented our CompassPlus destination dispatching system in advance of the modernization work, improving passenger flow and mitigating the effect of taking elevator units out of service to modernize them.

In total, 32 elevators at building one and eight elevators at building five were integrated with our customized CompassPlus system. By more efficiently grouping passengers and stops, CompassPlus helps users get to their destinations faster than conventional up-down button systems while offering modern aesthetics and seamless integration with the security system.

In an effort to improve efficiency and sustainability at Place Ville Marie, all 49 modernized elevators now have regenerative and standby technologies. ReGen™ drives capture energy during braking that would otherwise be lost as heat, and convert it to electricity to be used by other systems in the building, helping to reduce the energy consumption of that unit.

To help building managers monitor and control the elevator systems, we integrated all elevators with our EMS Panorama 2.0 elevator management system. We also equipped them with a new communication system and security cameras, permitting staff to monitor elevator cabs and communicate with passengers in the event of an emergency.

Recognizing an opportunity to continue improving passenger experiences, we provided an interface for future integration with our eCall Pro App. This solution allows passengers to call an elevator through a simple, clear elevator interface on their smartphone. There is no need to touch a button in the cab or the hall.

In the close to 10 years this project took to be completed, our team at Place Ville Marie was able to complete the modernization and deliver on the customer’s key objectives, gaining valuable experience with new products and technologies, all while adapting to complex and changing work environment.

As a location already recognized as a must-see destination within Montreal’s urban center, Place Ville Marie is poised to continue offering innovative experiences to visitors and businesses. Otis is excited to be part of its ongoing evolution.