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LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2018 - KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has received top honors in Elevator World magazine’s “Project of the Year” competition for its escalator modernization project at the Los Angeles Public Library's historic Central Library in downtown Los Angeles.
The award-winning project, with its first phase completed in 2015 and final phase completed in 2018, features 12 escalator modernizations. The Los Angeles Public Library chose the versatile KONE EcoMod™ solution for the project because it delivers new, state-of-the-art escalator technology while retaining the original truss of the escalators. That process allowed KONE to significantly upgrade the units, which dated to 1991, so that they could more safely and efficiently move an average of 5,000 library patrons a day.
“This Project of the Year award is a wonderful testament to how our KONE EcoMod solution makes the escalator modernization process easier for building owners,” said Larry Wash, executive vice president of KONE Americas. “This award is a great validation of our quality product, and this particular project is an example of how KONE provides a unique, tailored solution to meet customer needs in a historic facility.”
Because of time and space constraints (the library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places), access challenges and the need for the library to remain open, full replacement of the escalators was not an option. Thanks to the flexibility of KONE EcoMod, KONE was able to upgrade the escalators while library services continued, uninterrupted. By working outside of normal business hours, KONE also preserved the library’s quiet environment.
This is KONE’s thirteenth Project of the Year win since 2005 and the company’s eighth consecutive nod for the KONE EcoMod solution.
KONE also won global recognition in the Project of the Year competition. A new installation at Bloomberg London won first place for KONE Great Britain in the Elevator New Construction category; an elevator modernization project at Brisbane’s Riverside Centre won top honors for KONE in Australia.
For more than a decade, Elevator World has recognized projects that highlight innovative design, special applications, and unique problem-solving solutions in vertical, horizontal, or inclined transportation. In order to be selected as a winner, each project is reviewed by a distinguished panel of industry specialists and judged on innovation, originality and creativity, as well as installation methods and techniques.
For more information on the KONE EcoMod solution, please click here.