In today’s society, the drive towards equality and inclusivity is paramount, particularly for individuals with mobility challenges. Ensuring accessible rights, especially in commercial venues and luxury properties, is no longer optional; it’s a critical legal and ethical concern.
While many accessibility solutions exist, what happens when you need to integrate essential access without compromising your building’s high-end design and aesthetic appeal? The perfect fusion of function and form is achieved with a hidden platform lift.
Read on as we delve into this sophisticated wheelchair access solution and explore its benefits.
What is a Hidden Platform Lift?
A hidden platform lift is a specialised type of disabled access lift or wheelchair lift. It employs an advanced electric or mechanical system to provide smooth, low-rise vertical transport. Essentially, it lifts a wheelchair passenger safely on a compact platform from one level to the next.
The key feature that defines a hidden platform lift is its discreet operation. When not in use, the entire mechanism rests neatly below the floor level in a purpose-built depression known as a ‘flush pit’. This allows the platform’s surface to sit perfectly flush with the surrounding floor, making it virtually invisible.
Regarding travel capacity, this can be tailored to your building’s needs. However, the maximum compliant height 3 metres of lift travel. This makes it an ideal vertical platform lift for navigating small differences in floor height.
Benefits of Hidden Platform Lifts
1. Enhanced Accessibility and Inclusivity
The primary advantage of installing a hidden platform lift is the increase in accessibility within your building. By providing access where stairs or level changes previously presented a barrier, you achieve several outcomes:
Highlighting Values: You visibly demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity, enhancing your brand’s reputation.
Legal Compliance: You ensure adherence to legislation like the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), protecting your business from potential penalties.
Wider Audience: By advertising yourself as a disabled-access friendly business, you significantly increase your pool of potential customers, visitors, or residents. This proactive approach boosts public relations and can lead to increased revenue.
2. Discreet Design for High-End Environments
A major selling point of the hidden platform lift is its discreet design and unobtrusive installation.
Aesthetic Preservation: This makes the hidden lift an essential solution for preserving the character of heritage properties, Grade 1 listed buildings, or high-end retail and corporate spaces where maintaining the architectural integrity is paramount. The lift remains unseen until required.
Seamless Integration: Because the platform sits completely flush with the floor when recessed, it can be finished with materials to match the existing built environment, be it marble, wood, tile, or carpet. This make sure the lift blends flawlessly into its surroundings.
3. Bespoke and Customisable Solutions
Hidden platform lifts can be designed and manufactured to meet highly specific requirements.
- Tailored Engineering: Customisation options are vast, covering:
- Configuration and Size: Ensuring the lift fits perfectly into the designated space.
- Style, Materials, and Finish: Allowing for the platform surface, railings, and operational controls to align with your building’s luxury aesthetic.
- Operation: Options for various controls and safety features.
Choosing a bespoke wheelchair lift solution like those from Lyfthaus ensures that the accessibility feature feels like a natural, intentional element of the building’s design, not an afterthought.
How Hidden Platform Lifts Blend Luxury and Access
A hidden platform lift represents the pinnacle of intelligent design, offering the ultimate combination of necessary accessibility and superior, discreet design. It is the intelligent accessibility lift choice for any commercial, luxury, or heritage property committed equally to regulatory compliance and maintaining a premium, high-end aesthetic.
By choosing a hidden lift solution, you are not merely installing a mechanical device; you are investing in a feature that respects your building’s architecture while broadening its functionality and appeal. This seamless integration ensures that your commitment to wheelchair access complements, rather than detracts from, the overall design luxury.
Contact us today to discuss how a bespoke hidden platform lift can be incorporated into your property.