An elevator has been unveiled at the London Festival of Architecture that uses water weights to counterbalance a lift compartment, with solar powered water pumps feeding water back to refill the system.
The water/solar powered elevator is designed lift wheelchair users over the daunting Duke of York steps next to the Institute of Contemporary Arts. An additional challenge in the construction of the lift was the steps being protected under a “grade 1” listing; similar to Australia’s Heritage listing. This meant the elevator could not be fixed to the steps themselves.
The three tonne structure can lift as many as eight adults; a remarkable achievement given only two solar panels are used. The extensive use of Perspex in its design is to allow people to view its inner workings.
The lift was fabricated by Matthew Lloyd Architects, Capital Models and T Good and Sons with the help of numerous other companies contributing equipment. Among them were SMA Solar Technology AG, which provided an inverter/charger, and Sanyo supplied HIT solar panels.
The architects are now in discussions regarding providing three lifts for use during the Olympics to make the steps more accessible during sporting events being held nearby.
