Personal Elevators In Homes? Yeah, The U.K. Has That
One would expect Queen Elizabeth or members of her royal court to have homes equipped with personal elevators. Well, this is 2015, and oddly enough, anyone can own anything. For elderly folks harboring pains that prevent stair climbing, or for lazy tarts simply wanting to feel the luxury that comes with owning “comfort technology,” there’s finally a solution: the Lifestyle Home Elevator, complete with glass door and Dr. Spock.
Reuters attached Star Trek connotations to the home elevators produced by Terry Lift, a small U.K.-based company that spent decades refining the design and usability of the lift. Located in Cheshire, the company started producing these personal elevators which resemble a telephone booth gone wrong after realizing success with their commercial products. Founder Eric Terry founded the company in 1948, but it’s today’s forward-thinking mindset that has allowed the personalization of elevators to come into residences from London to Beijing.
The hilarity behind this invention is quickly silenced by serious architectural ingenuity. Conventional elevators can carry up near 2,500 pounds, are cumbersome, and oftentimes need drilling work in order to cut through concrete or metal in preexisting buildings. The home elevator by Terry Lift is somewhat unique in that it only holds 550 pounds, or two adults, and can easily carry personal merchandise between floors without a hitch. Installation doesn’t take rocket science, and pet owners can take solace in an automatic shutoff when objects obstruct the elevator’s downward descent.
Maybe elevators are making a comeback. One New York elevator company, Start Elevator, managed to help restore a historic Brooklyn church. Terry Lift has decided to mass produce these and send them to China, Australia, France, or to anyone that has enough euro to grab one. Currently, you can choose from the base home elevator model, the THL 400, THL 600, or the Lifestyle Elegance lift, which looks like it belongs in Frozen. The company will inspect the location where the lift is to be installed, and determine the best model according to space and load limit requirements.
One particular component of Terry Lift Company’s elevators is their safety certification, which several other manufacturers are trying to get their hands on. In layman’s terms, it allows the company to design (to spec) elevators that are medically approved for elderly mobility issues. Although they do manufacture elevators and stair lifts concurrently, it’s the personal elevator that’s drawing attention from regular folk with thousands of euro to toss around.
(Photo by Fast Company)
