Alimak Hek installs sustainable lift at London landmark

Swedish lift manufacturer Alimak Hek has installed a permanent refurbished lift at the 40m landmark sculpture at Danes Yard, part of the Strand East site close to the Olympic Park in London.

The sculpture, a self-supporting hyperboloid created by a wooden lattice of 72 twisted, diagonal larch laths and 16 horizontal galvanised steel rings, is illuminated at night by over 600 low energy LED lights which can be programmed for both intensity and colour to achieve a range of visual effects.

A sustainable access solution was required to carry out maintenance of the sculpture. This was provided by a refurbished Alimak SE 630FC passenger/goods lift. It was originally manufactured in 2004 for use as a temporary passenger lift for projects with Newham Council, close to the Danes Yard site. The lift was fully refurbished and modernised using the latest Alimak ALCII lift controller and a new car operating panel with dual illuminating push buttons and autodial telephone.

The new lift is driven by rack and pinion, so all the drive machinery is carried on the top of the car and mounted to a modular structural mast. This eliminates the need for a load bearing lift shaft.

Strand East is the first major British development for LandProp (part of the Inter Ikea Group). The 10 hectare mixed use development will include 1,200 homes.