Toronto, Canada

Well done!

Toronto will soon have a new landmark: a complex with office space, apartments, and shops. Schindler is on board at The Well.

The Toronto skyline has been full of cranes for the last ten years. In some months, there were as many as 150. Schindler Canada has witnessed firsthand the building boom in the country’s largest city, securing a contract for the 174-meter office tower that forms part of The Well. A total of 19 elevators from the Schindler 7000 premium product line, 18 equipped with the Schindler PORT s­ystem, and 4 elevators from the Schindler 5500 series, as well as other elevators and 3 escalators, will transport people efficiently around the building.

The Well is a complex in the center of the city consisting of seven high-rise buildings with a total of 1 700 offices, apartments, and retail spaces. From spring 2023, 11 000 people will work, live, and shop there. Looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the 36th floor of the tower, you can see Toronto’s legendary CN Tower on the left. Beyond this massive landmark is Lake Ontario, whose waters shimmer like thousands of diamonds in the evening sun.

The Greater Toronto Area contains 2 000 buildings that are more than 30 meters tall, and the downtown area boasts more than 100 skyscrapers that rise to a height of over 100 meters. Within North America, only New York City has more high-rise buildings. The Canadian real estate investors RioCan and Allied Properties developed The Well and the general contractors EllisDon and Deltera built the massive complex. It was also EllisDon that brought Schindler on board. What was the reason behind this decision?

Lisa Konnry, who has been President of Schindler Canada for six years, is an incredibly energetic woman with strong drive and determination. “We may not be number one in Canada, but we can do great things,” she says. “If our employees believe in the company, then our customers do, too.” Regional Manager Dave Brennan, who was involved in the negotiations, adds: “Our customers know that we deliver consis­tently high quality and that we communicate with them well.”

Schindler can also take on large-scale modernization projects. In 2022, the industry magazine “Elevator World” recognized one such example – naming it “Project of the Year” in view of its high level of success. The Scotia Plaza skyscraper in downtown Toronto is instantly recognizable with its red hue and its sheer size. Schindler was awarded the contract to replace its own elevators, which have been operating there reliably for 30 years. The multiyear modernization process was challenging and complex both in logistical and technical terms because it had to be carried out while the building was fully occupied. Adrian Mahadeo, Project Manager for existing installations and modernizations, and his team installed a total of 22 double-deck elevators featuring the Schindler PORT access system, which is capable of handling 20 000 people on any given day. The team also modernized 2 service elevators, 3 elevators leading to the underground parking, and 12 escalators.

Adrian Mahadeo arrived on-site in the early hours of the morning each day. “I was extremely motivated because this was a flagship project for Schindler,” he says. “And because I knew that I would have the right specialists on hand in the event of any problems.”

There are many other modernization projects on the horizon in Canada. Half of the country’s high-rise buildings were built in the 1970s and need upgrading.

Adrian Mahadeo will take on these new customers, while handing over responsibility for Scotia Plaza to Miriam Ritacco-Widmer. The young Swiss account manager will be working in Canada for two years as part of the Schindler Career Development Program SCDP (see box). Commenting on her major new role, she says: “I am very grateful to Schindler for this new opportunity, and I look forward to tackling it.”

Why is Lisa Konnry placing so much trust in the young manager? “If you want to succeed as a woman, you need the right position and power,” she says. “At Schindler Canada, 38% of management roles are held by women. I am a strong advocate for women and I want to achieve success with them. This not only benefits women – it benefits our company and our customers.”

The city airport is located on an island just a stone’s throw from the banks of Lake Ontario. In fact, it takes just 90 seconds for the ferry to transport people and vehicles across the narrowest stretch of water to Billy Bishop Airport. A regional airline with a fleet of prop planes flies from here to numerous destinations in Canada and the US. The airport, named after a Canadian pilot whose heroic actions in the First World War made him a legend, also served as a training base for the Norwegian Airforce during the Second World War.

Schindler Project Manager Justin Klodner could always see the airport from his balcony. When the city council brought out a plan from the 1930s to build a tunnel connecting the mainland with the island, he was keen to be part of this complex engineering project. Thanks to its expertise in the area of elevators and moving walks, Schindler won the contract – and Justin Klodner had the opportunity to deliver this project in his home city. “We are almost always focused on reaching the top – so this was our first experience of going downward,” laughs Klodner. “Transporting materials in the tunnel shaft was a challenge.”

The tunnel was inaugurated in July 2015. Six elevators now connect the mainland with the tunnel. They are software-­controlled to ensure that arriving and departing passengers are kept separate when using the elevators. Four Schindler 9500 moving walks – each 74 meters in length, located beneath Lake Ontario –provide rapid and easy access to the airport on the island. Six escalators and two elevators then transport passengers to the departure hall.

Accuracy and attention to detail ensured that this project was completed to the highest standards, resulting in a satisfied customer. Project Manager Justin Klodner says: “The Billy Bishop tunnel is quite unique –a world first. I will always have special memories of working on this project.”