Maspero Elevatori Wins VT Contract for Palais Des Nations

Maspero Elevatori has been awarded a more-than-EUR2.8-million (US$3.4-million) contract for the vertical-transportation (VT) portion of renovation of the historic Palais des Nations, the United Nations (UN) European headquarters (HQ) in Geneva, Switzerland. VT work is scheduled to start in October. The first step will be replacing doors and gears and installing new-generation electrical panels to maximize safety and energy efficiency on 25 elevators. The first modernized lifts are due to be complete in the first quarter of 2022. Maspero is also designing 11 new lifts, with construction set to start in 2022 and installation by the end of 2023. All elevators will be connected to a monitoring system that sends data to a control room, allowing supervision, monitoring and management of access and movement to ensure safety and security. Cloud-based software and a series of sensors will monitor functioning, allowing automatic detection of faults and activating or deactivating access to certain floors, if necessary. After the NYC HQ, the 100,000-m² Palais des Nations, situated on 46 ha in Ariana Park overlooking Lake Geneva, is the UN’s most important international operations center. Built between 1929 and 1936, it is one of the busiest diplomatic centers in the world. Webuild-CMB-Italiana Construczioni joint venture is handling the overall renovation with a focus on protection of historical heritage, work safety and accessibility.