When news about a new skyscraper by CapitaLand began to circulate, the project sounded almost too good to be true. CapitaLand is one of the most prominent developers in the region and when word got round that they wanted to use the latest groundbreaking innovations to create the ultimate seamless journey – we were excited as this is exactly our forte.
If you search for CapitaSpring on Google Maps, you’ll see that the stretch of land it occupies is surrounded on all sides by busy streets and commercial buildings. It’s located in the heart of Singapore’s CBD. “It’s the city’s equivalent of downtown Shanghai or Lower Manhattan in New York,” said Anthony Lim, Schindler Sales Manager for CapitaSpring.
To raise a skyscraper in this concrete jungle was never going to be easy – often work has to be done during the night just to avoid the traffic. To navigate these tight constraints, we installed two Schindler CLIMB Lifts. Fitted permanently into the elevator shafts, Schindler CLIMB Lifts grow with the building, rising incrementally to service higher floors as the building gets taller. As such, it provides the benefits of a permanent elevator from the very beginning of construction. With an average speed of 5 m/s, Schindler CLIMB Lifts are faster than traditional hoist elevators, helping to improve site logistics and increase productivity. As internal elevators, they are available for operation in all-weather conditions, and they provide a secure working platform, helping to increase site safety.
Another perk of Schindler CLIMB Lift is that it’s not affected by the building shape or the readiness of the building façade. A key signature of CapitaSpring’s architecture is its ‘Green Oasis’ from level 17 to 20. The aluminum façade has wider openings here to allow the lush greenery inside to thrive on sunlight. Traditional external hoists would have struggled with the irregular-shaped façade and would certainly have delayed its completion; but as an internal elevator, this open-air design concept posed no obstacle to our Schindler CLIMB Lifts.
Throughout the construction of CapitaSpring, our two Schindler CLIMB Lift units did their part, easing the burden of logistics and hastening the project forward. The building has been completed, their cars and landing doors continue to work as permanent fixtures, delivering maximum efficiency with minimum waste.
For the Green Oasis, our customer requested a customized glass elevator so passengers could enjoy a view of nature within the city. The initial plan was for the panoramic glass elevator to have front-opening doors. Subsequently, there was a request to change the design so that the elevator would have a side-door opening. Due to the car’s unusual, customized bullet shape, the change in the door position meant altering the design of almost the entire car.
We took it in stride. Halim Draman, Project Director for CapitaSpring, who has been with Schindler for over 30 years, knew exactly where he could find the support he needed. He reached out to Derek Roberts, the head of our Schindler Engineering Center in Hong Kong, who’s been dealing with customized elevator requests for 40 years. With his guidance and that of his team, we were able to customize an elevator that met all our customer’s expectations. “Somewhere in Schindler, you can always find the help you need”, reflected Anthony with a smile.
Anthony Lim, Schindler Sales Manager for CapitaSpring
The 280-meter-tall CapitaSpring has 51 stories, divided between Grade A offices, luxury apartments, and retail space. On a busy day, the development draws as many as 5000 people – a mix of shoppers, office workers, and tourists.
To handle that kind of foot traffic, our customer was looking for a state-of-the-art mobility system – one that would incorporate an intelligent API with multiple secure access methods to enable efficient transit throughout the building. It was important that the system be future-proof, so that additional features could be added when needed. Above all, our customer needed a mobility partner who could commit to their vision and help make it a reality.
The initial plan had us focusing on Schindler PORT and the vertical transportation system. But during one of the early design meetings, it became clear that there was a gap between our customer’s vision and what the different suppliers involved in this project could effectively deliver.
To bridge this gap, we suggested that Schindler PORT serve as the central nervous system for CapitaSpring. It wasn’t a simple task. In addition to the elevators, Schindler PORT now had to integrate turnstiles, robots, facial recognition technology, QR code readers, surveillance cameras – just to name a few.
"It’s a roller-coaster story," reflected Lok Fung, head of Schindler Transit Management Competency Center (TMCC), who’s been with Schindler for 23 years. "Post-tender changes are not unusual, and we’re always happy to accommodate changes or new requirements." One of the key features of our API solution is how customizable it is, allowing us to cater to even very detailed specifications. What simplified the process further was that instead of collaborating with a multitude of suppliers, now our customer only needed to contact us.
To handle the workload, Lok and his team chose to customize our Schindler BuilT-In API solution. Originally developed by Jardine Schindler, the solution had already proved its worth in projects like Hong Kong Science Park, delivering excellent performance results. Integrating effortlessly with Schindler PORT and the latest technologies on the market, Schindler BuilT-In API supports real-time database synchronization of the building’s mobility and security systems. The system also continuously optimizes its performance with deep-learning algorithms.
It took Lok, his team and our pool of experts the better part of half a year to customize the solution. This was multidisciplinary team effort drawing on our experts from Business Development, Operations, and Software Development. Throughout the whole process, our team worked closely with CapitaLand, meeting with them frequently to help fine-tune design details and keep the project on track.
Now our bespoke Schindler BuilT-In system delivers the ultimate seamless journey throughout CapitaSpring, helping to make it one of the most future-ready buildings ever built – a dream come true.