Grand Palais

Paris, France

Discover how elevators serve the ambitious modernization of a Parisian icon

Originally built in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition, the Grand Palais in Paris is an important cultural and historic site best known for its vast glass-roofed atrium crafted from more than 6,000 tons of steel. When it came time to undergo a complex and highly customized transformation of the elevators within the building – which included going from just 2 to 49 elevators – Otis experts were up for the challenge.

Hear from Maud Turin, an Otis business engineer, on how Otis helped restore and improve accessibility within the 72,000 square meter building, much of which was previously unknown to locals and visitors because it was not open to the public.

Project facts

Completed: June 2025
Height: 60 meters
Floors: 7
Surface: a 72,000-square-meter building
Number of elevators: 49

Unique requirements

Otis was entrusted with the unique challenge of modernizing the Grand Palais elevator system to meet current accessibility standards while preserving the site's historic features, including its decorations, facade and statues. This project required careful execution in a complex environment, with a partial reopening scheduled for summer 2024 to accommodate global sporting events.

Otis innovation

Otis experts were at the heart of this complex modernization providing a range of innovative mobility solutions to enhance accessibility and traffic flow. This included 18 Gen2^® elevators manufactured at our ISO-certified facility in Gien, France, 10 of which designed for people with reduced mobility, such wheelchair users or people with disabilities. Twenty high-capacity elevators were specially designed for the Grand Palais by one of our French partners, specializing in the design and construction of bespoke elevators for prestigious buildings and venues. The installation of our equipment will not only help the Grand Palais meet modern accessibility standards, but also help it shine as a beacon of innovation and inclusiveness.

Otis elevators enable accessibility at the Grand Palais

Solution

Designing modern mobility to meet the latest accessibility standards

The modernization work at the Grand Palais, including the installation of high-capacity and customized elevators, has been instrumental in bringing the building up to compliance with modern regulations.

Otis demonstrated its commitment to develop accessible solutions by providing technical expertise early on during the design phase. This included studying the building’s traffic patterns to develop the most appropriate solutions. Our team collaborated with the project’s architects to design new elevator shafts and proposed tailored equipment to fit the existing dimensions.

Preparing for an epic summer of mobility

To prepare the Grand Palais to host some competitions during the world’s largest sports event in summer 2024, Otis prioritized the installation of 25 elevators. This timely execution allowed the Grand Palais to reopen on schedule and host fencing and taekwondo inside its iconic Nave. Otis created a dedicated project team, including a field manager and a business engineer, to address the site's complex planning and execution requirements. Their expertise ensured seamless coordination of our operations with the other 1,000 architecture, engineering, and construction experts working on site to modernize the building. This collaborative effort was key to meeting deadlines and delivering the project on time for our customer, the GrandPalaisRmn.