CASE STUDY WHEELCHAIR ACCESS TO HIGH TECH BUILDING

Wheelchair access to high tech building

The Falkirk Wheel, is a unique and ingenious piece of engineering. Linking two canals with water levels 115ft apart, The Wheel provides an innovative solution to transferring boats between levels, that would have traditionally required 11 locks.

A major emphasis has been placed on making the visitor centre accessible to all, with consideration of the recommendations laid out in the Disability Discrimination Act.

For visitors with impaired mobility, wheelchairs are available. Two EquiLift platform lifts have been installed at The Wheel to facilitate disabled access to all areas. A Vector vertical platform lift has also been fitted in the boaters centre adjacent to the visitors centre to link the upper and lower levels of the premises. The lifting platform can accommodate a wheelchair user and an attendant up to a maximum capacity of 630kg and travel up to 9m, with a maximum of 4 stops.

Within the visitors centre itself a Geo vertical platform lift has been installed to link the two stories of the building. The Geo wheelchair lift fitted has been supplied without its own enclosure, so that once on site the lift shaftway could be constructed by the team responsible for other building works,  exactly matching the décor of the surrounding area.