Luxury Accessibility Solutions

This Product Spotlight Looks at a New Offering for The Homelift Market as Demand in Europe Increases.

by Clare Brophy

Demand for homelifts across Europe is increasing, with more people appreciating the life-enhancing impact of investing in a lift for their existing home compared to the cost of moving and all its associated disruption. And with building projects picking up again after the uncertainty and challenges of both Brexit and the pandemic, many people are focused on future-proofing spaces so they can enjoy their homes well into their later years.

The world’s ageing population wants to stay at home safely and independently in later life. More of them want to do it in luxurious surroundings.

To help meet this need, accessibility and mobility global leader Savaria® offers the award-winning Vuelift® collection of octagonal and round residential lifts.

Vuelift models are self-contained solutions that include a fully integrated lift shaft so they fit seamlessly with existing architecture. For a trained lift installation crew, it’s almost hassle-free, with very limited construction work needed. We believe this is a win-win for both installer and homeowner.

The Vuelift is suitable for retrofitting as well as new builds. Models fit under a standard ceiling height, and they are easy to install with components that can be carried by two people through existing doorways. The cost of building a lift shaft in older buildings can be prohibitively expensive. The Vuelift includes a standalone, integrated lift shaft with a steel frame that provides all the structural strength and stability required without the need for a load-bearing wall.

Jesse Simmons, special projects manager and one of the original inventors of the Vuelift design, believes luxury accessibility solutions play an important part in changing people’s perceptions about what their later life could look like. He explains:

“Our aim was to help people stay at home by providing an option that was affordable in comparison to moving. We wanted to create something desirable that people would love, that was also easy to install into existing homes; a benchmark for future residential lift design. Over the years, the design has evolved. We continue to out-engineer the competition so that the Vuelift is always one step ahead.”

One such Vuelift is stopping traffic outside a coastal home in Florida, as those passing by often stop to watch (through a top-to-bottom glass exterior wall) the octagonal panoramic Vuelift installed in the centre of a winding staircase travel. Homeowner Mark Salebra said:

“Riding it is an experience, which is exactly what we wanted, and the aesthetic is perfectly attuned to the rest of our home. As a coastal contemporary design, there is a lot going on, but the combination of the staircase and the Vuelift cleans everything up and ties everything together. For all its visual impact, it’s a very simple, elegant machine, with just a touch of an industrial feel. From the outside looking in, it’s particularly impressive at night when it’s lit up. It’s the icing on the design cake.”

The Savaria Vuelift uses a tried-and-tested winding drum system with aircraft-grade cables and 1.77 HP motor working with a 20A, 230V, single-phase, 50/60 Hz power supply to achieve a speed of 0.15m/s and a 226 kg capacity. It outperforms alternative tubular elevator technology with:

• Best-in-class weight capacity
• Superior ride quality regardless of cabin load
• Quiet operation

Savaria Expands Into Europe Following Acquisition of Accessibility Leader Handicare

Following Savaria’s acquisition of European-headquartered Handicare Group last year, it’s now even easier for U.K.-based architects and luxury home developers to incorporate the Vuelift into their designs for clients in search of the ultimate statement feature.

With an established and loyal distributor network in Europe, Handicare — working together with its sister division Garaventa Lift under the Savaria umbrella — will extend the range of mobility and accessibility products available to its partners, including the Vuelift.

Handicare is a recognised leader in Europe’s accessibility sector. Its U.K. division was established in 2010 following the acquisition of stairlift manufacturers Minivator and Freelift. Since then, the U.K. operation has continued to build on firm foundations to become one of the leading providers of stairlifts. The team has worked as a brand partner with leading charity for the elderly, Age UK, for more than 13 years and provides stairlifts, accessible bathrooms and homelifts in association with the charity’s trading subsidiary Age Co. Owned 100% by Age UK, Age Co. sells products and services designed to help people make the most of later life. All profits go to the charity, enabling it to support older people most in need.

This relationship has transformed how Handicare’s team members operate, giving them a true understanding of the needs of older people, their families and caretakers.

As part of Savaria, Handicare expects to broaden its range of solutions and support that increase the independence of the elderly or physically challenged. Its new Savaria showroom in he West Midlands offers visitors the chance to experience these products first-hand. The latest addition is a Savaria Vuelift Mini.

The Vuelift Mini’s versatile and efficient design fits against a wall, in a corner, in the middle of an open-concept living space or centred in a spiral staircase. It takes up 70 cm2 less space than a traditional residential lift using only a 127-cm-diameter footprint, so it’s ideal for renovation projects with limited floorspace.

The U.K.’s very first Savaria showroom has a full suite of Vuelift information, plus working demonstration models of Handicare’s market-leading curved and straight stairlifts, as well as the custom solutions provided by Garaventa Lift.