Otis Brazil Completes Elevator Modernization at Birmann 21

São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, Jan. 11, 2024 Otis Brazil has completed the technological and aesthetic modernization of 13 elevators in the iconic Birmann 21 building in São Paulo, completing the 36-month modernization project on schedule. Otis Brazil is part of Otis Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: OTIS), the world leader in the manufacture, installation and maintenance of elevators and escalators.

"This is one of the largest modernizations in the history of Otis Brazil and a major milestone for our company. Otis manufactured and installed the original elevators when Birmann 21 opened in 1998 and has maintained them ever since,” said Fernando Peiter, Otis Sales and Marketing Director for Latin America. “At 7 m/s, the upgraded equipment includes our fastest Otis SkyRise™ elevators in the country, enabling passengers to arrive at their destination quicker and with enhanced comfort.”

The project included the replacement of cables, motors, signaling, call buttons and doors. For the first time in Brazil, Otis installed its Compass® 360 destination dispatching system before the rest of the work began, integrating the elevator system with the building's access system at the beginning of the project, while the original elevators were still working. This unique approach provides benefits to passengers by improving elevator system performance while elevators are taken out of service for the modernization. Compass 360 technology is a virtual concierge that uses SmartGrouping technology to reduce travel time by grouping passengers by destination and zone. It offers features such as Otis' advanced dispatch algorithm with newly designed accessories, new location signage and a state-of-the-art touchscreen technology.

Of the total elevators modernized, 11 are Otis SkyRise™ units, Otis' most advanced high-rise elevator. One existing elevator had its aesthetics and control modernized with Flex Drive solution and the other was completely replaced by a machine room-less Gen2® elevator, the Otis model that revolutionized the industry with its unique, patented flat belt drive technology, replacing conventional ropes and significantly decreasing vibration, providing passengers and tenants with a smooth, quiet ride and greater overall comfort.

As a benefit for the building's management and tenants, and in line with Otis’ and Birmann 21’s values regarding sustainability, the new elevators now operate with ReGen™ drives, which capture energy during braking that would otherwise be lost as heat, and converting it back into electricity to be used by other systems in the building.

With 27 floors and 149 meters, the Birmann 21 building is one of São Paulo's best-known buildings. In 2012, it received LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification, meeting global sustainability management standards, including energy efficiency, water consumption optimization and waste recycling.

About Otis

Otis is the world’s leading elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service company. We move 2 billion people a day and maintain approximately 2.2 million customer units worldwide, the industry’s largest Service portfolio. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 69,000 people strong, including 41,000 field professionals, all committed to meeting the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. To learn more, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook @OtisElevatorCo.