If you’re trying to figure out what type of lift you need for your building, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss the various lift types and how their features can benefit your building to improve accessibility and enhance ease of mobility.Platform liftThis type of lift has several variations that can be used for different purposes. But generally, they’re solely used in low-rise buildings that don’t have more than a few floors. Unlike passenger lifts, platform lifts are only intended for disabled access in buildings where people primarily use stairs.
This can include multi-floor museums and shops. Access lifts are vital to ensure those who require wheelchairs or find difficulty using the stairs can still have the freedom of mobility. Passenger liftsPassenger lifts are the most common type of lift, which you’re likely to see in high-rise buildings where taking the stairs is simply too taxing and time-consuming, even for those who don’t usually experience difficulty using stairs.
This type of lift can come in a range of sizes and capacities to transport various numbers of passengers. Passenger lifts tend to travel faster than other kinds of lifts, especially in high-rise buildings where there will be lots of passengers getting on and off frequently.
External Platform liftsThese lift types are installed outside in steep areas that only have the option of stairs and no wheelchair ramps. They’re incredibly beneficial to those who require access lifts for only a small incline outdoors.
They can be designed for the wheelchair user alone, or allow enough room for another person to accompany them inside. They’re usually closed off in a box structure to protect the inner components from potentially harmful weather conditions.
Glass LiftsCompared to an ordinary passenger lift, this type of lift is a perfect aesthetically pleasing alternative that offers all the same features as an ordinary passenger lift, but with the added benefit of a sleek and contemporary design.
These access lifts offer a stylish means of transportation and will blend into your building perfectly without compromising looks. Goods liftsIf you need lift types that aren’t intended for use as access lifts and instead for transporting products around an industrial setting, goods lifts are perfect for the job.
This type of lift can have capacities of a few hundred kilograms to many tonnes. So regardless of the loads you wish to transport, goods lifts can meet your needs. Service liftsMany lift types fall into this category that isn’t necessarily intended as access lifts. For example, dumb waiters are a type of lift that is gradually falling into obscurity but is still used sparingly in kitchen settings, hotels, and old private housing. They’re hand-operated and intended to allow you to transport meals from one room to another on a higher or lower floor.
Furthermore, another type of lift that is commonly used in public buildings but isn’t necessarily used as an access lift is trolley lifts which are intended solely for transporting trolleys from one floor of a building to another.
This type of lift is commonly found in hospitality and retail buildings. Stair lifts are most often used in domestic buildings to assist those who experience difficulty using the stairs in traversing them independently. They use a motorised seat which takes the user along the stairs and to the top of the next floor. Stair lifts are one of the only types of access lifts that aren’t suitable for wheelchair users.