Erkan Soydan 
Rather than following the traditional take-make-dispose model, the circular economy prioritises reuse, upgrading, and extending the life of existing assets to reduce waste and carbon footprint, and improve long-term value.
In the UAE, the trend towards refurbishment is becoming more evident. The vast majority of the country’s existing building stock was developed after 2000, meaning many assets are now entering a phase where system upgrades, rather than wholesale redevelopment, are becoming increasingly relevant.
This shift is supported by regulatory and policy frameworks that incorporate sustainability requirements into the built environment. Dubai’s Green Building Regulations – now the Al Sa’fat rating system – and Abu Dhabi’s Estidama Pearl Rating System reinforce the need to consider performance, efficiency and the life-cycle across building systems.
There is an opportunity to apply circular economy principals to vertical transportation systems.
Instead of removing and replacing entire lift systems, partial modernisation and refurbishment can improve performance significantly while retaining a large proportion of the existing installation. This approach can reduce disruption to occupants, shorten downtime, and avoid unnecessary replacement of components that remain structurally and technically sound.
Refurbishment, rather than full replacement, can offer greater agility, allowing buildings to respond more quickly to changing tenant expectations, technology developments and regulatory requirements. Targeted upgrades can be phased over time, so avoiding large, single-point capital expenditure.
Refurbishment also enables greater use of local and regional supply chains. Unlike new lift installations, which often rely heavily on centralised manufacturing and long international logistics chains, modernisation projects draw more extensively on local expertise, specialist contractors and regional suppliers.
This supports a more tailored, market-specific approach aligned with UAE building typologies and operational realities.
From a cost perspective, while the upfront capital cost difference between partial modernisation and full replacement can sometimes appear modest, the lifetime cost profile often tells a different story. Retaining serviceable components and avoiding premature replacement can improve whole life cost efficiency and enhance long-term asset value.
Not all components need to be replaced simultaneously
Can refurbishment take off?
Despite these advantages, partial lift modernisation is still adopted less frequently than full replacement. One contributing factor is the lift industry’s increasing reliance on standardised, full-replacement solutions, which are often simpler to procure and easier to manage from a contractual and warranty perspective.
Over time, the availability of highly experienced lift modernisation specialists has declined, making complex refurbishment projects appear more challenging to deliver with confidence.
Lift manufacturers are well positioned to enable a more sustainable and commercially balanced approach. This requires greater emphasis on life-cycle planning, modular system design and standardised modernisation packages that make refurbishment more predictable, scalable and attractive for clients.
Rather than designing lift systems around a nominal 20- to 25-year lifespan, the industry could consider 40- to 50-year asset strategies, supported by planned interventions such as minor modernisation every 10 years and major modernisation every 20 years. Recognising that not all components need to be replaced simultaneously is key to reducing waste.
A shift to refurbishment requires changes in mindset and business models, but it offers clients clearer long-term planning, improved cost certainty and more resilient assets.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Erkan Soydan is managing director and founder of Soydan VT Consultancy; committee member, CIBSE Society of Vertical Transportation; and chair of CIBSE MENA VT
The shortlist for the CIBSE Middle East & North Africa Awards has been revealed. The awards include two new categories covering the vertical transportation sector: Consultancy of the Year, and Manufacturer and Supplier of the Year. To see the shortlist, visit: www.cibse.org/mena