Overseeing A Complex Lift Refurbishment In The Iconic UK Historical Landmark

Background:

Big Ben was built in 1859. The neo-gothic tower was unveiled during Queen Victoria’s reign and named a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1987. It is officially called Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Through its time, Elizabeth Tower has been subjected to harsh weathering, excessive pollution and even bomb damage from the Second World War and was in need of some urgent TLC.

In 2017, the first ever complete modernisation and refurbishment of the whole structure was initiated.  The most specialist and experienced contractors in the UK were bought together to execute the ambitious project.

The Brief:

 As Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), Responsible for the Overall Project, explains the main aims of the modernisation was:

 ‘To restore the buildings external fabric, renovate the clock, improve internal areas, add energy-efficient lighting and oversee the installation of a lift’

With respect to our specific brief, SVM Associates were asked to:

• Find space for a lift and platform within the existing building constraints
• Contribute to the design of the structure and the engineering interface
• Provide a lift suitable for evacuation
• Meet safety and accessibility standards
• Maximise the passenger ride/experience
• Apply energy efficient technologies wherever possible

*All whilst respecting and preserving the historic features of the original architecture.

The Challenges:

Finding space was easier said than done, especially in a Grade 1 listed building. The lift was required to reach the top of the Tower (previously only accessible via 334 steps) and needed to be used for passengers and equipment destined for the belfry as well as being an accessible lift suitable for evacuation.  However, the dimensions were incredibly tight.

As you would also expect in a building built over 150 years ago, the measurements and angles were not perfect therefore we couldn’t rely on uniformity and all parts needed to be planned, designed and built with complex and precise engineering.

It was crucial that the internal fabric of the structure was untouched, so any solutions had to work within the original framework, this included finding space for a conventional motor room, essential for effective maintenance on a critical service.

Utilising 21^st century technology was crucial to achieve the Eco sustainability required but we had to ensure it was reliable and readily serviceable. (We also needed to ensure that the machinery noise would not affect the iconic ringing of Big Ben for the BBC news programmes!)

As with other projects at this time, we hadn’t factored in a global pandemic. The restrictions imposed by lockdown and social distancing brought an additional challenge to the installation, especially when taking into account the limited working space.

The Process:

Space for the lift was found in an existing ventilation shaft measuring just 4.9m by 2.4m.  This had not been accessed since the tower was constructed, and a remote laser point cloud survey revealed, unsurprisingly, the brick shaft was not sufficiently uniform to accommodate a plumb lift shaft maximising the full area top and bottom.

The decision to construct a structural skeleton frame within the ventilation shaft provided a plumb, uniform lift shaft and at the same time minimised the need to fix into the historic masonry.

In order for the structural engineer to design the frame, we had to design the lift almost entirely so that we could provide position of the car guides, entrances, diverting pulleys and counterweight, along with imposed loads. This was particularly challenging as the lift equipment had to work around historic structural tie rods that could not be disturbed and the machine room was to be located in an unconventional mid/side arrangement.

Close coordination between ourselves and the structural engineer led to a developed design for the steel skeleton which needed to be progressed before a lift contractor was even appointed.

Having designed the bespoke lift installation, we went on to refine the design to incorporate all of the safety, accessibility, energy saving and maintainability features required of new lifts, but also going further to meet the brief.  The tender process ensured Parliament achieved best value and our advice within the evaluation panel to appoint Stannah (with their UK based design office) essentially allowed us to develop a detailed design on a wholly bespoke lift.

The Stannah installation team worked with SRM to overcome many challenges including: storage limitations, requirements for millimetre perfect setting out and alignment, close and intense liaison with other involved trades and towards the end of the project, a global pandemic.

SVM Associates worked closely with all parties, helping develop detailed designs, evaluating and commenting on solutions to overcome discovered issues and final witness testing inspection and performance measurement.

The Outcome:

Elizabeth Tower is now serviced for the first time by a vertical transportation lift system. It runs within the existing fabric of the listed building, efficiently using and recycling energy, easily meeting the British Council for Office Specification Guide’s horizontal ride quality criteria for passenger lifts. This is testament to the precise manufacture, alignment and accurate installation (in particular, the guide rails). The ability to maintain the clock is much improved because engineers, their tools and equipment do not have to use the single stairwell to access the top of the tower.  Importantly, it serves a crucial role in quickly evacuating the tower in an emergency.

As well as being easily accessible for maintenance teams, we have installed advanced technology that ensures maintenance downtime is kept to a minimum. The mechanical systems are designed and installed to be virtually maintenance free and to notify service engineers when adjustments need to be made.

The result of this hugely collaborative project is that skilled, UK craftsmen and specialists have restored one of our most recognised British symbols to its former glory; bringing it safely into the 21st century using sustainability and advanced technology and providing a safe, reliable and sustainable lift facility. We are very proud to have been part of it.

Contact us for more information. Hello@SVMA.co.uk