Alimak Hek on the Thames

The company provides a passenger lift for the London 2012 Festival and design competition.

“A Room for London: Roi des Belges,” designed by David Kohn Architects in collaboration with Fiona Banner, is a one-bedroom installation that sits on the roof of Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and is part of the London 2012 Festival. The design competition held for it attracted entries from approximately 500 architects and artists from across the world vying to create a room on one of the city’s most visible sites, where up to two people at a time could spend a night. The winning design is a boat perched on the Queen Elizabeth Hall roof appearing to have come to rest there, perhaps grounded from the retreating waters of the Thames below.

With internal stairs as the only access to the roof level, Project Manager Alex McLenan chose to provide passenger lift access for visitors using an Alimak Hek SE-T 630 Temporary Passenger/Goods Lift. Similar to a conventional Disability Discrimination Act-compliant lift, it is fully automatic for independent use and meets the required safety regulations. Its capacity is 630 kg (eight persons) with a travel height of 20.2 m.