Disabled Access for Listed Buildings

Tower Lifts Provides Disabled Access for Listed Buildings

Listed and historic buildings are hugely popular across the UK. There are thousands of buildings to visit, from castles and cathedrals, to bunkers and battlefields. They’re part of the UK’s national heritage and, as such, they should be accessible to everyone who wishes to visit them – including wheelchair users and people with limited or impaired mobility.

Designing and installing disabled access for listed buildings is a very specific challenge, and one which the Tower Lifts team particularly relishes. The installation must, first and foremost, achieve its primary aim of providing access. Additionally though, the integrity of both the historic aesthetic and structure has to be preserved.

Disabled Access in Historic Buildings

Finding an appropriate solution for disabled access in listed buildings can be like solving a cryptic crossword clue. Any solution is required to meet the frameworks, guidance and regulations that govern lift installation in listed properties. Lift design takes into account, therefore:

The Structural Integrity of the Building. Lift installation must not interfere with, or damage, the historic materials from which the building is constructed.
Aesthetic Integration. The environment experienced by visitors to historic/listed buildings is distinct. Lift installations should not distract from or disrupt the original architecture/structure.
Lift Design. Functionality is paramount when creating disabled access, but the design is also an important focus for historic buildings. Careful attention has to be paid to the look of the lift, matching colour and texture to its surrounds.

Platform Lifts for Listed Buildings

Platform lifts are used extensively for the creation of disabled access for listed buildings. This adaptable and innovative technology can be used for movement between floors, up short flights of steps and on staircases. The platform allows for easy access if you’re in a wheelchair, and they can be installed indoors or outdoors.

A vertical platform lift looks like a traditional passenger lift, except that it’s smaller and customised for use by someone in a wheelchair. Its modular design means that no lift shaft is required, making it easier to install in listed buildings.

The step lift provides access between one floor level and another. This may be a short flight of steps, or split-level flooring. The elegant mechanism can be customised in order to seamlessly integrate with its surroundings.

For staircases, the inclined lift provides an elegant mode of ascent or descent. The platform lift is designed to hug the contours of the stairway, and the platform folds out when in use and back when not.

Tower Lifts Install Bespoke Platform Lifts in Listed Buildings

For nearly two decades now, the Tower Lifts team has been designing and installing bespoke platform lifts in heritage, historic and listed buildings. Our designers are hugely experienced at creating integrated lift designs; we’ve camouflaged our platform lifts as cobbles, grass, and parquet flooring in our time. If you’re looking for contemporary technology and craftsmanship that can blend with historic architecture and design, talk to Tower Lifts.

Would you like to discuss the design and installation of disabled access for a listed building? Call Tower Lifts today on 01525 601099

Tower Lifts carry out design and installation on a varied range of lifts throughout the UK including:

Domestic Lifts • Food Lifts • Bespoke Platform Lifts • Service Lifts • Platform Lifts • Goods Lifts • Scenic Lifts • Heavy Duty / Car Lifts • Passenger Lifts • Dumbwaiter Lifts • MRL Lifts • Fire lifts • Residential Lifts • low-Headroom Lift