Quality Wins Project of the Year

7

Accessibility Systems

Category

Project Year of the 2013

The external drum painting, gold leaf around the platform, stone floors and landings were designed and installed by the client and its finishing contractors.

B etween September 1, 2010, and December 20, 2011, Elevert Co. Ltd. installed a cus- tom-built platform lift in the ground-floor lobby of the Abu Dhabi Presidential Palace for use by VIPs and visiting dignitaries. The circular drum platform lift’s open-through door arrangement operates between the ground and first floors with seemingly no visible support or guiding system. The platform surround is glass topped with a wooden balus- trade. A stainless-steel tubular frame provides protection to the one-piece glass wall and acts as a handrail, kick rail and support for the centrally mounted platform operating pan- els. The curved-glass, center-opening doors are independently driven. The need for a landing entrance at the ground floor is eliminated by the solid drum upon which the platform lift sits. As the platform rises, the drum provides a solid barrier. At the first-floor landing, center-opening, flat glass gates protect the entrance. As the lift ap- proaches the first floor, the landing entrance floor, with gates and support posts, moves out to meet the lift. The entrance docks with the lift platform, closing the safe running clear- ance. The lift’s doors begin to open as it levels. The car door panels slide open, and the landing gates swing 90°. In the fully open position, the glass gates create a barrier at the sides of the entrance defining the exit path between the platform and landing. The landing remains in the extended position until the gates have closed and the platform lift has de- Abu Dhabi Presidential Palace submitted by Richard Draper, Elevert Co. Ltd.

68 | WWW.ELEVATORWORLD.COM  | January 2013 Reprinted from ELEVATOR WORLD