Wittur Tools
Dec 22, 2016

Oriental Pearl Tower: Travelling in a modernized icon

Wittur and Otis completed the modernization of the Oriental Pearl Tower full glass round panoramic elevator. 
Wittur, as the original supplier of the door system, was chosen to provide its modernization solution, which included a fully customized  new LUNA door system that replaced the old one

Wittur and Otis completed the modernization of the Oriental Pearl Tower full glass round panoramic elevator. The Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower is one of the most famous landmarks in Shanghai. Completed in 1994, it reaches a height of 468 meter (1,536 ft) and has different observatory levels. The lower ones are at 263 m (863 ft) (Sightseeing Floor) and at 90 m (295 ft) (Space City). Inside the tower there are also a revolving restaurant at the 267 m (876 ft) level, exhibition facilities and a small shopping center. It was the tallest structure in China from 1994–2007, when it was surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Center. 

Travelling from the ground floor, a big round panoramic elevator is the main mean of vertical transportation inside the tower. The elevator is in charge of transferring visitors from the 0-level to the Space City hall. Since beginning its service in 1994, it has been in operation every day for more than 20 years, transporting an annual average of more than 400 million passengers. Considering this intense use, the elevator needed to be modernized and the owners of the Oriental Pearl started the refurbishment of its door system in 2016.

Wittur, as the original supplier of the door system, was chosen to provide its modernization solution, which included a fully customized new LUNA door system that replaced the old one. In order to reduce the operation breakdown time, Wittur made a special design for this new door system, which makes full use of the original installation holes of the old car door operator based on our experts' pre-evaluation. With good preparation, the whole modernization project was completed within just 5 days. The activities included replacing 2 sets of car doors and 2 sets of landing doors on the 90m hall. Wittur and OTIS teams worked together smoothly and completed the project as scheduled.

Compared with the old one, the new car door operator has a lighter structure that helped reducing the load of the whole elevator. Thanks also to a less complex design, the new door system is easier to maintain and consumes less energy. Furthermore, it fully complies with the latest China regulation, GB7588:2003+XG1:2016.

After its modernization, the elevator of the Oriental Pear Tower can provide visitors and tourists a better travel experience and allow them to fully enjoy the beautiful scenery of Shanghai!