The Versatile Platform Lift

Platform lifts are often associated with accessibility. While this is one aspect in which this type of elevator excels, David Schill, Marketing Director at Aritco Lift, assures that it is far from the only one.

“When I tell people that we are manufacturing platform lifts, their immediate reaction is, ‘OK, you are making disability lifts,’” David says, noting that this has happened more than a few times.

So common is the misconception about platform lifts being solely used for accessibility purposes, that a Wikipedia query for “platform lift” lands you on a page with Wheelchair lift.

“While that is part of our portfolio, an even bigger part is for other purposes, such as retail spaces, offices, et cetera, all with great Scandinavian design and built on our safe, proven platform lift technology.”

There are myriad examples where platform elevators have been the best solution for both public and private constructions, let us have a look at two.

In a Swedish apartment building with four floors and three apartments per floor, new regulations prompted the installation of an elevator. The twelve households living in the apartments owned the building themselves and considered building a traditional cabin elevator with a shaft and machine room. Quickly, they realized that this was not only going to be very expensive, but that they would also need to sacrifice a lot of space and re-build parts of the building.

They contacted an architect for help who pointed them in the direction of our Aritco PublicLift Cabin, which does not require a concrete shaft or machine room. The cost was far lower than for their first idea and they did not have to change the floorplan of the building, since our platform lift could be set up in the existing open staircase.

As an Amsterdam office was being rebuilt and redesigned to include a lot of glass walls, an open plan and many social areas, an elevator or a lift was also needed. The choice fell on our Aritco PublicLift Access, a platform lift with no cabin and a shaft in glass that creates a fully open and shared experience.

With the Aritco SmartSafety system, the lift is just as safe as any cabin solution would be. The Aritco PublicLift Access was chosen mainly for its slim and open design, where the social contact between the people in the lift and those outside is naturally maintained. The design of the control panel was also of importance. Its sleek, backlit panel has a contemporary feel to it as well as a clear Scandinavian design heritage.

As you see, Aritco platform lifts are great options for a wide variety of reasons beyond accessibility. When asked if the market for disability support is interesting for Aritco, David responds:

“Of course it is. However, we do not split the market in disability or non-disability lifts.”

“We make great looking lifts that have smart functionality and are safe to travel in with sustainable environmental and lifecycle costs, no matter what they will be used for. In short, great lifts with a multitude of possibilities.”