While the primary purpose of an custom built accessibility lifts should be to provide reliable wheelchair access, this doesn’t necessarily mean the device needs to look like a piece of medical equipment. We recently completed a project for a client that required secondary wheelchair access up to the 3rd floor of an office building. There are a variety of products that would satisfy this need but this client had some very specific criteria. Due to the fact the accessibility lift needed to be located in an atrium full of glass and plants it was important to preserve the look of the space. The client required:
- A pit-less application – they wanted to avoided cutting up the existing concrete
- No machine room – the available space did not allow for this
- A full height car complete with a ceiling – they wanted to duplicate the feel of a regular passenger elevator
- Travel speed of 37′ per minute (maximum allowable by code) – The lift needed to travel over 23′
- Bi-folding doors – so that they did not swing into the hallway at the second and 3rd levels
- An aesthetically pleasing hoistway and lift – It needed to look like it belonged in the space
RAM CTL ACCESSIBILITY LIFTS
The first 5 points could be easily achieved by using the RAM CTL (commercial traction lift), as this would all be included in the standard product offering. To achieve the desired look we needed to get creative so we did the following custom work:
- Had Greywolf projects build a custom glass and wood hoistway finished as per the clients specifications
- Added a glass wall to the elevator car
- Provided stainless steel doors at the landing entrances
- Upgraded the lift with stainless steel trim inside the elevator car
- Clad the lift wall panels with a custom laminate
More information on Commercial Accessibility Lifts can be found here or you can contact us at our Calgary or Edmonton offices.