York Theatre Royal

We were approached by the architect, De Matos Ryan, who were designing the refurbishment of the Grade II listed York Theatre Royal. A grand building that is the centre of York's arts scene. The theatre is located in the centre of York in the shadow of the minster. The £6 million refurbishment included completely redesigning the social spaces outside of the main theatre buildings. Within these works, the client needed two lifts, a main lift to access the four floors of the building as well as a platform lift to link the main lobby area with the café. We worked with the principal contractor, William Birch & Sons, to deliver this project. We are currently working with William Birch & Sons to deliver 4 different lifts at Lincoln Cathedral whilst we have worked with De Matos Ryan at the British Library and in the refurbishment of private homes in some of London and the South East's premium locations.

Due to the nature of the building there were certain limitations with regards to the design of the lift. There were a number of stone features that could not be touched or changed. The redesign of the theatre meant that there were a number of balconies and mezzanine floors with 4 different floor levels across around 5 metres of travel. The lift itself has 3 different access points so that all of these mezzanine levels could be accessed. The lift was finished in glass and brushed stainless steel to add a modern contrast to the more traditional limestone features surrounding it. The prominence of glass on the lift allows light to flood down the shaft into what is a fairly dark area which has little natural light sources. All the doors of the lift were automatic two-panel glass doors with brushed stainless steel frames. This compliments the modern aesthetic of the lift and allows the easiest and quickest access for all users. The lift is compliant with Part M with a 1100mm wide x 1400mm deep cabin and a horizontal control panel making it easier to use for wheelchair users.

The second lift is an open platform lift which links the main lobby area to the newly refurbished café adjacent to the main spiral staircase. The lift is finished with glass panels within a black steel frame, this gives a modern sleek appearance with simple constant pressure controls.

Platform Lifts at the National Army Museum

We were approached by BDP, the architecture firm responsible for the £23.75 million redevelopment of the National Army Museum in London. They were looking to fit platform lifts within the museum so visitors would be able to access every part of the museum and make full use of the new services. The refurbishment completely modernised the museum and they wanted a trio of platform lifts that would match the new look of the museum. The locations that they needed to fit platform lifts were from the main reception to the education centre, to the Discover More gallery and for staff from outside the building to access the lower basement entrance.

We designed and installed a platform lift between the main reception and education centre. This lift is mainly used for groups and school pupils who visit the museum and use the education centre. The education centre is a great tool where large groups can learn about British history from the Civil War up to the present day conflicts. The lift was finished in stainless steel with glass panels to match the newly refurbished modern look of the building and the travel distance was 1.8 metres.

We fitted and installed a platform lift for access to the Discover More gallery, it was also finished in stainless steel and glass to suit the new aesthetics of the building. The cabin length of 1650mm allows both a large wheelchair or mobility scoot and carer to easily and safely use the lift. The platform lift travels just 980mm but can hold a load of up to 300kg.

The third lift we designed and installed was for staff access from outside the building to the lower basement floor. The outdoor platform lift was finished in RAL 7016 painted steel with a travel distance of 1180mm. The platform lift that the client wanted was a cost effective product that would withstand any adverse weather conditions that could be thrown at it. The lift would provide disabled access for staff and workers at the National Army Museum.

All three lifts were fitted within 2 weeks and were ready for the National Army Museum's Grand Opening in March 2017.

British Library

We were approached by the architect, De Matos Ryan, to measure for a disabled access lift in the British Library in Central London. The British Library is located next to St Pancras Station on Euston Road and contains copies of every book published in the UK as well as being the largest library in the world. The building it is situated in is less than 50 years old however it is a Grade I listed building which can make the construction of a lift very difficult. The client needed disabled access across 3 floors for library visitors as well as private functions that take place on the 2nd floor. The lift’s overall travel would be 5.8m.

The disabled access lift needed to cover 3 floors and have adjacent doors on both 1st and 2nd floors as well as being perfectly aligned between the 2 steel beams supporting the roof. One of the initial challenges we faced was that for a lift of this size, a conventional lift would require a 1500mm pit below the lower floor level, however due to the small distance between the floor level and the ceiling of the floor below the maximum pit we were able to have was 130mm. In addition, a conventional lift would need 3500mm metres above the upper floor level however we had a maximum height of 2350mm as the ceiling could not be taking off or adjusted for the lift.

The lift structure also needed to be able to support two landing balconies weighing 500kg each. We had 2 sets of automatic power car doors adjacent to ground floor entry onto the balconies of 1st and 2nd floors. The architect wanted the to maximise the light that enters the space so chose a white structure with pinned glass on the outside of the structure. The finish makes the most of the light pouring into the building and makes the whole experience of using the lift feel less claustrophobic. The placement and attachment of the glass proved challenging because there were no points that a hoist could fix to therefore the glass was moved and positioned by hand. Even though this took longer than expected the finish of the lift looks great.

The lift now supplies disabled access for library users and is an aesthetically pleasing addition to the Grade I listed building.

National Theatre

We were approached by the National Theatre as they were undergoing a refurbishment to a large part of the theatre. They needed to provide disabled access throughout the building, unfortunately they couldn't make space for a conventional passenger lift due to the building's Grade II listing. The National Theatre is situated on the Southbank of the Thames and holds a host of productions from Shakespeare to more contemporary plays.

Working with Lendlease, the construction management business, we designed and fitted a lift with automatic doors on adjacent sides. The lift travelled a distance of 12 metres across four floors, with entry points on two of the four sides of the lift shaft. The client had strict criteria that the lift had to meet due to the building's Grade II listing. The ceiling of lift had to be anodised bronze to match the theatre's ceiling that had originally been installed in 1976. In order to match this requirement we used the same anodising company that had originally constructed the theatre's ceiling. We also replicated the handrail from the landings inside the lift car and used the same materials to create a handrail that is identical to those in the theatre. We completed the lift with the same flooring as the rest of the theatre, with the original carpet from 1971 being used in the lift car. The rest of the lift was finished in stainless steel to contrast the wooden panelling and one of the interior sides was fitted with a complete floor to ceiling mirror. Even with the high specification of the lift, it was fitted within 4 weeks.

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

We were approached by the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead who were looking to supply wheelchair access to part of their art gallery. The Baltic Centre is a converted flour mill located on the soutbaek of the River Tyne in Gateshead. The local landmark plays host to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and holds several world renowned exhibitions. In fact the mill was the first venue outside of London and Liverpool to host the Turner Prize in its 25 year history. The client wanted an access solution that would provide both the necessary access for all visitors but also be in keeping with the BALTIC's contemporary design. A compliant ramp would require at least 6 metres of slope to get over the 500mm rise across the split floor levels.

In order to create a simple solution that wouldn't disrupt the interior of the building with a more traditional platform lift we designed a small hidden scissor step lift. The step lift would firstly rise above the height of the 3 steps between the galleries then travel across to the upper floor level and then lower slightly to meet the floor level. The total travel for the lift was 5o0mm vertically followed by 700mm horizontally, the lift has a maximum load of 450kg so can easily take a wheelchair and even the heaviest of electric mobility scooters. The lift was finished with the same hardwood flooring as the gallery and so disappears into the floor when not in use. The lift was installed in a day and was ready to use by mid afternoon the same day.

To see more of our hidden platform lifts click on the following links:

200 Grays Inn Road | Sissinghurst Castle Garden | 24 Chiswell Street | Devonshire Club | Platform Lift for Ribs

Medway County Court

We were approached by Medway County Court in Chatham, Kent as they needed to replace their old disabled platform lift with a new one. The old lift that we removed was over 40 years old therefore in really bad condition, our engineers were surprised it even worked! After removal of the old lift we measured the resulting gap so that we could design the new lift. We set out to design a lift that would be robust, affordable and would last. Courts are very busy buildings with a large number of visitors daily. The difficulty of creating a disabled access lift for a public building such as Medway County Court is making it robust enough to stand up to the daily wear and tear as well as finding time to fit it.

We installed a lift with platform dimensions of 900mm x 1480mm, the length of the platform allows both a disabled person in a large wheelchair and carer to travel up together. The lift travels a total distance of 1400mm and was finished with glass automatic doors and side panels. The extruded legs were finished in brushed aluminium. Due to the busy nature of the court, we weren't able to install the lift within the week. The result of this was that we had to fit the lift on the weekend, we started the installation on Saturday morning and were finished by Sunday afternoon. The stainless steel lift car will protect any marking over time and allow the lift to provide disabled access for a number of years.

To see projects similar to Medway County Court click on the following links:

Venture House | Seven Dials | National Army Museum | Chiswell Street | Southwark Council

lifts in public buildings

York Theatre Royal

For more information about lifts like the ones above call us on 0800 65 252 65 or email us

Platform Lifts at the National Army Museum

For more information about lifts like the ones above call us on 0800 65 252 65 or email us

British Library

For more information about lifts like the one above call us on 0800 65 252 65 or email us

National Theatre

For more information about lifts for theatre and stage call us on 0800 65 252 65 or email us

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

For more information about lifts like the one above call us on 0800 65 252 65 or email us

Medway County Court

For more information about lifts like the one above call us on 0800 65 252 65 or email us