St Mary's Guildhall is a medieval building that dates back to 14th Century and is situated in the centre of Coventry. The building is located opposite the old Cathedral and has played a prominent role throughout Coventry's history. The Grade I listed building last had a major refurbishment in the 1930s with smaller scale adaptations made in recent years. Oliver Architecture based in Birmingham led the design with Croft Building Contractors carrying out the major works. Both companies work extensively in the heritage buildings and conservation sector with projects across the West Midlands as well as nationwide. As part of the refurbishment Oliver Architecture were looking at including a discreet hidden platform lift to overcome a short rise as well as an enclosed platform lift to offer step free access to the first floor.
We offer a wide range of hidden lift options that can be tailored to site requirements. We can also change the location of the platform whether its on the upper landing, part of the steps or on the lower landing. Our bespoke hidden wheelchair lifts can be used for rises up to 1500mm. For St Mary's Guildhall, we designed a standard 1100mm x 1400mm platform with two moving steps for the 420mm change in height. The lift requires a 600mm pit below the finished floor level and can be clad in any material most commonly stone up to 30mm thickness with a total load of 100kg across the platform. In this instance Yorkstone was used to match the surrounding flooring which provides a seamless finish. Due to the flexibility of the finish our hidden lifts are perfect for heritage and listed buildings where traditional platform lifts would look out of sorts.
The lift also features stainless steel roll off protection to the lower landing side. The lift is finished with an on platform control column and remote control key fobs for use by members of staff when events are taking place at the Guildhall.
The package also included an enclosed platform lift that offers step free access from the ground floor to the first floor. The lift features its own self-supporting shaft with a half height upper landing gate on the first floor. The lift shaft, platform and all cladding panels when finished in RAL 9005 - Jet Black to match the interior design accents through the building.
As part of the works, Access Lifts were also awarded the enclosed platform lift providing access from the ground floor level to the Undercroft.
Location: Coventry
Status: Ongoing
Year Completed: 2022
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