The Most Exciting Lifts In The World
When you think of a lift, you probably imagine a simple platform lift that moves passengers or goods from one floor to another. However, they don’t have to be this simple, and there are some fantastic examples of lift design throughout the globe. From the strangest and the coolest to the fastest and those with amazing views, here we look at ten of the world’s most exciting lifts.
The Hammetschwand Lift
This Swiss lift has been open since 1905 and offers amazing views across Lake Lucerne and the Alps. At 153 metres, this is Europe’s tallest outdoor lift, and the spider’s web lattice structure remains a great feat of engineering.
Umeda Hankyu Building Elevator
The impressive size of these passenger lifts in Osaka, Japan, is part of the attraction. They are capable of taking 80 passengers at a time. This enables employees in the office building to get in together, reducing waiting times.
AquaDom
The lift within the Radisson Blu Hotel in Berlin, Germany, is simply spectacular, and the platform lift company responsible has excelled in the creative design. The transparent elevator sits within a 25-metre-tall glass aquarium, so passengers can experience tropical species swimming past as they travel up and down.
Anderton Boat Lift
This Victorian lift is an incredible structure that stands three storeys high in Cheshire, UK. The lift appears complex but has a simple operation that carries boats from the river at the bottom to the canal at the top. The original workings were restored in 2002, and it now operates hydraulically.
Selfridges Art Deco Lift
Visitors who want to see the intricate 1920s Art Deco platform lift need to visit the Museum of London and not Selfridges. When it was operational, it offered customers a stunning journey, and there were beautiful female attendants to run the lift.
The Falkirk Wheel
This is another lift that was designed for boats, and it runs between two canals in Falkirk, Scotland. The rotating boat lift covers a height of 24 metres and is the only one of its kind. It is operated by 10 hydraulic motors, and visitors can see up to two miles when it’s at its highest.
The Gateway Arch
This lift in St Louis, Missouri, is the tallest monument in the US. Visitors board a futuristic elevator, and the glass doors showcase the mechanical complexity of the system. The trams in each of the legs take passengers to the top in four minutes, where they can see the views from the observation deck.
Rising Tide Elevator
Situated within the world’s biggest cruise ship, the MS Oasis of the Seas, this lift doubles up as a bar. It can accommodate 35 passengers, and on the eight-minute journey there’s plenty of time to enjoy a refreshing cocktail.
Luxor Hotel Inclined Elevator
The sharp angles of the renowned pyramid-shaped Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas required a different type of elevator. The inclinator takes guest up the hotel at a 39-degree angle.
Sky Tower
The ride up to the top of the 186-metre Sky Tower in New Zealand is almost as amazing as the views. The elevator has a glass front and floor, which gives a spectacular thrill when you see the ground getting further from you or closer at terrific speed.
