Solving St Swithuns’ people-moving impasse

St Swithun may well enjoy a reputation for working miracles, but Stannah’s new Midilift XLplus has worked its own brand of magic by bringing people-moving power to a challenging location – St Swithuns House, a recently refurbished, 3-storey office complex in Winchester, Hampshire. Named after the Anglo-Saxon Bishop and patron saint of Winchester Cathedral, this 6,800 ft2 open-plan premises has the benefit of undercroft parking – a marketing gift in a space-strapped city. However, this facility compromised the installation of a conventional passenger lift as these require a pit depth of 1100mm – 1200mm. The Stannah design team was able to offer an immediate solution with the Midilift XLplus. Brand new to the Midilift range of vertical platform lifts, it requires a mere 70mm pit depth and is designed to fit where it is unnecessary, impractical or impossible to install a conventional passenger lift. Drawing on this lift model’s flexible range of finishes, Stannah was also able to fulfil the client’s specification for a ‘light, airy passenger lift in keeping with the contemporary, spacious premises’. The self-supporting structure is fully glazed as is the lift car. This is complemented by a half-height mirrored rear wall and a mirror-polished stainless steel ceiling with six downlighters. Ground-floor entry is on the left-hand side which frees-up the entrance area, whilst first and second-floor entry is on the right-hand side to optimise space. Passenger safety is also ensured by a non-slip, studded-vinyl floor and a voice annunciator at each stop. Peter Arculus, MD of Acorn Design & Project Management, explains his decision to use a Midilift XLplus: “We have used Stannah Lifts before and knew that we would get a good product backed by a good service from a local supplier. When it became apparent that a passenger lift was not an option, Stannah was very helpful and we welcomed this new-to-the-market Midilift XLplus as it was the most flexible, cost-effective solution to help us bring the project to a successful conclusion, on time and on budget.” Users and owners appreciate the advanced range of ergonomic features such as automatic push-button controls for ease of operation; a partially enclosed car for an enhanced sense of safety; multiple car styles for a greater choice of finishes, and a new traction drive system for a smooth, quiet ride with an increased travel to 12m for loads up to 400kg.

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